A Fresh Pair Of Eyes
by Tisaveeone
Summary: It takes a new guy to show JT what he should have seen all along. But will he be too late?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A|N: So I decided to bit the bullet and post this story here. For my Jiberty fam this is an oldie, and yes I know your still waiting for a sequel. Twilight is calling right now, but I'm gonna get to it. For now just enjoy the trip down memory lane. All you real Degrassi fans know you still miss JT...*tear*. Thanks to my beta MadeleineJade. Your the real reason I'm posting this...so glad your feeling the Jiberty love!**

A Fresh Pair of Eyes

Chapter One

"Mr. Ellis, can you check my specimen alignment?" Liberty raised her hand and waited for her science teacher to come to her lab table to assist her.

Everyone else in the room was working in groups of two or three, but Liberty preferred to work alone. She didn't like to entrust the quality of her work to someone else, and the last lab partner she had spent the entire period staring at her belly.

"It's off just about a millimeter." Mr. Ellis said as he looked into Liberty's microscope.

"I thought it might be but I wasn't sure." Liberty replied

"Well that's why I encourage you guys to work in pairs. It helps to have a fresh set of eyes look at things sometimes."

"Thanks, but I prefer to work alone."

"Well that's fine for this lab, but you will need a partner for the upcoming assignment."

Time was on Liberty's side that day as the bell rang for the end of the period. Mr. Ellis would not have time to stick her with anyone today and for that she was grateful.

Liberty gathered her books and prayed that she would be able to make it to her next class without anyone asking her how she was doing or how she felt. The last year had been a nauseating roller coaster for Liberty Van Zandt. She and JT had fallen in love and began a relationship, only to end up pregnant. She had gotten the position of school president, only to have JT break up with her and attempt suicide when he couldn't deal with their impending parenthood. So Liberty buried her longing to be a mother to this child and made the difficult decision to put it up for adoption as soon as it was born. She had made her mind up that she would carry this child as if it already belonged to someone else; she would detach herself from it the way she had detached herself from JT. The problem with that was that every time the baby moved, she thought about it. Every time someone asked her how she was, she thought about it; and every time she saw HIM…she thought about it.

"Hey Liberty, how are you feel…ouch." Toby stopped mid sentence as Manny elbowed him.

"Hello, guys." Liberty greeted them as she walked pass.

"Don't ask her that! How many times do we have to tell you? Just act like nothing is different with her."

"And exactly how am I supposed to do that? When your President has to run out of student council meetings to puke every five minutes, not to mention how big she's getting. It's not exactly something that easy to ignore."

"What's not easy to ignore?" JT asked as he approached his friends outside of their media emersion class.

"Toby's cologne." Emma lied "He smells like his bubby burnt his underwear in the dryer."

"Well that's better than what he usually smells like." JT joked as he walked into class.

"And what about that?" Toby questioned. "I hate feeling like I have to choose between them."

"I know." Manny chimed in. "I hate having to censor myself when I talk. Can't talk about Liberty to JT, can't talk about JT to Liberty—it sucks."

"And meanwhile there's this precious little baby on the way that they both need to be talking about."

The three friends turned and looked into the class at the subjects of their conversation. Liberty was sitting toward the front of the class with her notebook open and her hand absentmindedly resting on her belly. JT was sitting to the left one row behind her with his head tilted to one side and his eyes locked on Liberty.

She looks bigger this week, I wonder if that's normal? My grandmother said I was a big baby, I wonder if our baby will be big too? She looks really tired, but kinda pretty too…it's weird.

"Why don't you go over and talk to her?" Toby asked as he took his seat next to JT.

"Why? She has made her decision. There's nothing I can do about it. Liberty loves the fact that I messed up and now she has complete control over everything. She loves shutting me out."

"Do you hear yourself? You really think she's enjoying going through this pregnancy alone?"

JT looked over at Liberty and watched as she rubbed her hand across the back of her neck; a gesture that she always used when she was working very hard and getting very little rest. As she rotated her head and shoulders to stretch her muscles; she caught sight of JT watching her. They held each other's gaze for only a moment before Liberty let out a sigh and rolled her eyes at him.

"That girl doesn't have a forgiving bone in her body. She hates me, Tobes, and I can't keep trying to change that."

"Can't or won't?" Toby asked just as Mr. Simpson came in to start the class.

"This next assignment will require you to work in groups. It will take several weeks to complete so I will explain it today and give you some class time each week to work on it, but you will need to work on it outside of class as well. Now Liberty we need to…"

Mr. Ellis was interrupted in mid sentence by the presence of a tall young man with dark wavy hair, a beautiful tan complexion, and the looks of old Hollywood royalty. As Mr. Ellis read the note that accompanied the young man, the girls in the class begin to exchange glances that were full of raised eyebrows, winks, and whispers.

"Ok class settle down. This is Lukas Carter, and he will be joining our class. It seems you come to us from our neighbors to the south."

"Yeah, I was born in Toronto, but my family has lived in Florida for the past 10 years. My dad's job relocated so now we're back. Oh, and I prefer to be called Luke if that's cool with you." Luke directed his comments at Mr. Ellis.

"Not a problem Luke, why don't you take a seat at the lab table with Emma and Manny and we will see what we can do about getting you up to speed."

Emma couldn't have been happier as she scooted her chair over to make room of Luke. Luke removed his backpack and set down uncomfortably next to Emma, returning the huge grin that was spread over her and Manny's faces.

As the class continued, Luke noticed that the answers to most of the questions that Mr. Ellis asked seemed to come from the back of the room. Curiosity finally got the better of him as he turned to see the face of the girl with the encyclopedic knowledge of nucleic acids. Her head was down when he turned to look, but he could tell that she had a beautiful head of long golden brown hair and that she wore glasses, a trait that he had always found strangely attractive in girls. Luke had been a fan of smart, pretty woman for as long as he could remember. While his friends drooled over Baywatch reruns, he got his kicks with the brains and beauty of the women of CSI and ER. As if she sensed his eyes, Liberty looked up and saw Luke. She hadn't been paying much attention when he was introduced to the class so she just smiled politely and went back to her work.

"Who's the pretty girl in the back?" Luke asked Emma

"Who?" Emma asked as she turned to look.

"Her, with the glasses."

"You mean Liberty?" Emma answered a bit ashamed at her surprise at someone describing Liberty as pretty

"Yeah, is she like your resident science whiz?"

"She's like our resident everything whiz; student council president, newspaper editor, and 4.0 overachiever."

"Really?" Luke raised his eyebrows; he couldn't wait for class to end so that he could introduce himself to this girl who piqued his interest.

"Before we finish for the day," Mr. Ellis began, "We need to find a lab partner for Liberty. Would anyone like to volunteer?"

The room grew silent as no one volunteered to be paired with Liberty. Even though it would have meant an A for sure, the boys of the class didn't want to work with her because she was such a perfectionist and they knew they wouldn't be able to goof off, and the girls were all hoping that they would be able to be paired with the hot new addition their class.

Luke looked around the class and noticed Liberty in the back with her chin resting on her hand, looking very annoyed at the whole process.

"Mr. Ellis, I said I don't mind working alone." Liberty raised her hand to end the agony.

"And I said that everyone needs a partner, so who's it gonna be, volunteer people or be drafted."

"I'll work with her." Luke spoke up to the surprise of Liberty and the disappointment of the other girls.

"You'll be sorry." The guy behind Luke whispered.

"Somehow I doubt that." Luke smiled and leaned back in his chair.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Two

Luke spotted Liberty sitting in the editing room as he passed by on his way to lunch. After class, Emma and Manny whisked him away; and made it their mission to show him around the school and introduce him to well…everyone. He had missed his chance to talk to her than, but he would make up for it now.

"Hey, is this your lunch period?"

"Yup." Liberty answered after looking up briefly to see who was talking to her.

"So why no food, please don't say your dieting, I hate when girls say that."

"Not dieting, just don't have an appetite. Was there something you wanted?"

"I just wanted to introduce myself to you, since we are lab partners now."

"I'm glad you mentioned that, there is something you should know; if you don't give one hundred percent on this project, I will have no problem snatching your name off and telling Mr. Ellis that I did the whole thing."

"And what would make you think that I wouldn't give one hundred percent?" Luke asked amused by Liberty's spunk.

"I saw how the girls in class acted when you came in, like you were the second coming or something. I am nothing like them; don't expect me to let you goof off just because you're charming."

"It's nice to know you think I'm charming, but you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover. You assume just because a bunch of silly girls think I'm cute that I'm some sort of slacker. And just so you know, I have never gotten anything less a 90% on any assignment."

"Well I have never gotten anything less than a 95% so you will have to step your game up." Liberty said as she returned to her work.

"You're on. So, why don't you come to the caf and show me what's good."

"I'll pass, I have a deadline this afternoon, and the smell of that place would hit me before I made it through the door anyway."

Luke looked confused. "Man is it that bad?"

"Well there aren't too many places that I can go that don't make me want to puke now days."

Luke began to think that Liberty was the carrier of some strange tropical illness until she stood up to put a binder back on the shelf. He realized that he had never seen her standing until that moment. And while any other time his eyes would have been attempting to scan her feminine form; it was her round protruding belly that caught his eye and held his gaze.

"Ok let's get this over with." Liberty responded as she noticed that Luke's eyes had become fixated on her midriff. "Yes I'm six months pregnant, no I don't know what I'm having, and no I'm not still with the baby's father. Yes it's hard, I feel like crap most of the time, and I am giving the baby up for adoption. Does that cover all your questions?"

"Um….I guess." Luke hesitated. "But you're like this brilliant, student body president girl; how did you end up pregnant?"

"What type of science did you say you learned in the states?"

"I know _how_," Luke corrected. "I just mean smart girls like you usually don't find themselves in situations like this."

"Well maybe _you_ shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Because I am a smart girl who happened to fall in love, had sex and ended up pregnant. Now unless you think my condition is going to interfere with the completion of this project I don't think you have anything else to worry about. Now if you will excuse me I have a deadline."

"Listen I didn't mean to upset you..."

"You. Upset me, please, I don't even know you. If walking down the halls of my school surrounded by the constant whispers and stares of my fellow students doesn't upset me, why should a few words from you?"

Her words spoke strength, but the look on her face and way she shuffled her papers said anything but.

"Ok, well I guess I should get going than."

"Bye" Liberty said without looking up.

Luke exited the room and walked down the hall with a flood of emotion running through his brain. Here was this smart, pretty, interesting girl that he wanted to get to know better, and she was pregnant with another guys' baby. That was a red flag to run in the opposite direction if he ever saw one.

Manny and Emma motioned to Luke as he entered the caf. They had been sure to save him a seat and were beginning to get disappointed when it seemed that he would not be making an appearance.

"Hey, you didn't have to save me a seat." Luke said as he took his place between the two girls.

"Sure we did." Manny grinned. "We couldn't have you sitting all alone on your first day."

"So how do you like Degrassi so far?" Emma grinned even wider.

"It's cool I guess."

"There are a lot of cute girls here, I wonder if your girlfriend would be jealous?" Manny fished for information

Luke smiled catching on to her tactics. "Well...she might, if I had one. But I don't, so I think I'm safe. But speaking of cute girls, how well do you two know Liberty?"

Emma and Manny exchanged looks as they contemplated how much information they should share about Liberty.

"Well...we've been really good friends for years, and she's like the smartest girl at Degrassi." Manny began

"Oh definitely, really smart." Emma jumped in.

"Ok, I got that part. I guess I'm just wondering how she balances all the stuff she does at school with being six months pregnant."

"That's just Liberty. She doesn't do anything unless she can do it well. It seems like she has become even more driven since she got pregnant."

"Yeah, it's almost like she is trying to prove something to everyone." Manny added

"And what about the baby's father, where does he fit in all this?"

"They aren't together anymore, so right now he doesn't fit anywhere."

Luke nodded his head as he took in all the information that the girls where giving him.

"Why so many questions about Liberty?" Emma asked

"I don't know." Luke shrugged his shoulders and took a bite of his sandwich. "She is my lab partner, so I just wanted to know a little more about her that's all."

Emma and Manny nodded but they weren't buying it.

By the end of the day the school was a buzz about the cute new boy and which girl would be lucky enough to catch his eye.

"I don't get it, the guy is here for like 6 hours and every girl in the school is jockeying for his attention. I'm single, I'm cute, and I would appreciate a little attention thrown my way."

"Not to worry Toby, we have a feeling that Luke already has his sights set on one girl in particular."

"I knew it, its Heather Sinclair right? Guys always try to go for her until they get close enough to smell her breath. Can you say hal-i-tos-is?" Toby joked

"Nope Toby, you are way off. Mr. Luke Carter has his eyes set on our very own Liberty Van Zandt."

Toby got quiet as he searched their faces for the punch line.

"You're joking right...because if you are not joking, this is going to mean major trouble. Did he actually say that he liked Liberty?"

"No, but he was asking a lot of questions about her...and he called her pretty." Emma answered.

"This is crazy," Toby continued. "She's like nine months pregnant."

"She's six months pregnant Toby, and I see what he means, there is something about the way she looks lately." Manny commented. "She's glowing, her hair is shiny, and her eyes kinda sparkle."

"Hello...aren't you two forgetting about someone…JT."

"Well I say Liberty deserves to be happy and if JT can't grow up enough to do it, than more power to Luke. I like a man who goes for what he wants." Manny said

Toby shook his head as he closed his locker. "Mark my words nothing good can come of this."

**A|N: Hope your enjoying the trip down memory lane. **


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A|N: Hang in there with me folks. I don't really have a beta for this story. Again, it's old and I'm just posting it for people who have enjoyed it in the past...and a few new friends. I have reviewed it as much as I can, but if I spend too much time rehashing this story, I won't get the new Twilight story out. Forgive any errors. **

Chapter Three

For the next three days, Luke walked pass the editing room on his way to lunch. And everyday there was Liberty, always alone and never eating.

"Knock, knock." Luke made the sound on the already open door

"Enter" Liberty answered without looking up.

"Not eating again today?"

"Did you want something?" Liberty avoided answering the question

"I just wanted to see if maybe we could work on the project some, if you're not busy."

"That is actually a really good idea. I would love to get started on that before this weekend."

"Ok then...um, do you mind if I eat while we work? I won't get anything gross or smelly I promise."

"Gross and smelly to you, and gross and smelly to me, maybe two different things." Liberty answered

"Ok, how does chicken soup sound?"

"That sounds safe." She nodded.

"Cool, I'll be right back."

Luke entered the caf and unknowingly found himself in line right in front of JT.

"I'll have a large cup of chicken soup." Luke put in his request as he filled his tray with packets of saltines.

"You pretty fond of crackers eh?" JT asked when he noticed the abundance of saltines on Luke's tray

"Oh these, they're for a sick friend."

"Gotta be a girl." JT responded

"Yeah, I think she could really use some company right now. I'm just trying to look out for her without letting her know that I'm looking out for her."

"It all sounds good, but take it from someone who knows, be careful. It starts with a friendship and before you know it your up to your neck in trouble."

"I'll try to remember that. See ya." Luke paid for his food and shook his head at the poor chump who must have endured some tragic break up.

"And where are you off to?" Manny asked Luke when she saw him leaving the caf with his food on a tray.

"The caf makes Liberty nauseous so she and I are having a working lunch in the editing room."

Luke continued on his way as Manny, Toby and Emma stared after him.

"Working lunch my ass." Toby commented, "JT needs to hear about this."

"Toby, you will say nothing." Emma said as she stood in his way.

"Who Liberty has lunch with is none of JT's business." Manny added

"Ok, ok I won't say anything."

Toby kept his promise, but just barely.

"So JT where does Liberty have lunch these days…ouch" Toby jumped as Manny kicked him under the table.

"How should I know? It's not like she keeps me up on her whereabouts. Why do you ask?"

Emma gave Toby a look that said be careful

"I just wondered because I know she doesn't like to eat in here anymore. So I just wondered where she was eating, that's if she's eating at all. Have you ever thought about maybe taking her a sandwich or something, you know just to make sure she's eating…ouch?" Another kick came from under the table.

"I'm sure she's fine. Liberty can take care of herself." JT ended the discussion and returned his attention to his food.

"Do you think you have enough crackers?" Liberty asked when Luke returned.

"I really like crackers" He smiled with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Ok, well you eat and I will get started on some research online."

As Liberty worked she absentmindedly munched on a saltine from Luke's tray.

"Oh I'm sorry." She apologized when she realized what she was doing. "It's been a while since I had lunch with anyone. I seem to have lost all my manners."

"It's not a problem. I mean it's not as if I don't have enough for both of us." Luke joked

"So why do you hang out in here alone…I mean I get the whole smelly caf thing, but why doesn't anyone come here and eat with you?"

"I choose to be alone. I get a lot of work done at lunch without distractions. Are you sure you got that soup from the caf? It smells too good to be from that place." Liberty changed the subject

Luke reached on his tray and held up another spoon.

"I got two spoons by mistake so you can have some if you want. I will never finish it all myself."

Liberty took the spoon from him and began to devour the warm soup as if it were the best thing she had tasted in years.

"Here, let's switch places, you sit here and eat and I'll get online and do the research."

Liberty reluctantly switched places with Luke and finished the much needed lunch.

"I ate almost all of your lunch." Liberty observed when her belly was full. "How much do I owe you?

"Don't worry about it. You can provide the snacks on Saturday when we work on the project at your house."

Liberty was puzzled at the way Luke had invited himself over to her house. "Ok we can work at my house, but be there by 12, my father and brother will be out. Trust me you wouldn't want to be there when they are home."

"Ok it's a date." Luke picked up his tray and left Liberty with a confused look on her face.

Saturday arrived and found Liberty sleeping in until 12:15 that afternoon. If it had not been for her mother rousing her, she was sure that she could have slept for the rest of the day.

"Liberty, what is the name of the young man who is coming over to work on your project today."

"Luke" Liberty said into her pillow.

"Well he's here, what do you want me to tell him?"

"Tell him I'll be down in a minute." Liberty said as she dragged herself from bed.

Liberty found just enough strength to wash her face, brush her teeth and pull her hair back into a sloppy ponytail.

"Hey, did you forget about today?" Luke asked as Liberty made her way down the stairs.

"No, I just over slept that's all. Have you met my mother?"

"Yes we've met and I assure you that Liberty was not raised to entertain guests in her pajamas. Liberty you could at least put something decent on."

Liberty looked down at her baggy pajama pants and over sized tee shirt, and felt slightly embarrassed.

"It's cool; twenty minutes ago I looked the same way only without the ponytail." Luke joked trying to lighten the mood.

"Let's go downstairs, the computer is down there."

Liberty led Luke to the basement where they worked for three very productive hours, and they could have gone into the fourth if it had not been for her brother Danny's untimely return.

"Hey you're Luke Carter that new guy right." Danny announced as he came down the stairs

"Yeah, your Danny right?"

"Yeah, Emma introduced us the other day. Man it's all over school how the girly's are sweatin you; you've only been at Degrassi a week and you already got he honey's on you like flies on…"

"Daniel!" Liberty stopped him. "Do you mind we are trying to study, can you come back and worship Luke some other time."

"Sorry about that" Liberty apologized when Danny was gone.

"No big deal I was probably a pain to my older brother on more than one occasion."

"So where were we?" Liberty looked down at her notes

"Butter Pecan?"

"What?"

"Ice cream, I could really go for some, how about it?

"I don't know, we still have a lot to do." Liberty responded

"We got a lot done today Liberty, and you know what they say about all work and no ice cream."

"No, what do they say?"

"Well, I don't actually know, but it can't be good." Luke smiled

"I have been craving a hot fudge sunday…ok, but I'm buying. I owe you for yesterday."

"Mom, I'm gonna go change Luke and I are taking a study break." Liberty called to her mother when she got upstairs.

"Dude, you're taking my sister out?" Danny came downstairs and asked after seeing Liberty go into her room.

"Yeah for ice cream"

"Why?"

"What do you mean why; I want ice cream, she wants ice cream, so we're going to have ice cream."

"I mean…you do know she's pregnant don't you?"

"It's pretty hard to miss Danny."

"I hope you don't think she's some easy target just because she's pregnant, because she's not like that. I tried to kill JT for doing that to her and I would have no problem taking you out too."

"Ok," Luke laughed. "Calm down hero. I think your sister is a cool girl. I don't want anything from her; I just want to get to know her. That's all."

Liberty couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed herself so much. Well she could remember, but it had been before JT left her life and it still hurt too much to think about. So she chose to just enjoy being out for the afternoon. She felt very comfortable in the fact that Luke wasn't interested in her in a romantic way. He had his pick of any girl at school and she was certain that he would not want to start off with the most undesirable one. Besides, falling for some guy was the last thing on Liberty's mind. She had yet to finalize her choice of adoptive parents and her pregnancy was drawing to an end.

"Close your eyes and hold out your hands." Luke said as he walked up to Liberty's locker Monday morning.

"What, why?"

"Humor me."

Liberty closed her eyes and held out both her hands until she felt Luke place an item in them.

"Ok open."

"Crackers?"

"Yeah, you scarfed down those saltines so fast last week I thought you should have box of your own, for emergencies."

"Well that was nice of you. Strange, but nice." Liberty placed the box in her locker as she and Luke spent the last few moments before class chatting about their weekend. And it all transpired under the watchful gaze of JT as he stood at the end of the hall and watched Liberty wearing a smile that he had not seen in months.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Toby, what do you know about that new guy?" JT asked when he reached media emersion.

"Luke? I don't know anything, who told you I knew something?" Toby asked nervously.

"No one, I just figured you'd know if he was still hanging out with Emma and Manny."

"Yeah, I've seen him with them a few times."

"So you think he's probably tryin to hook up with one of them?"

"Sure…I guess." Toby bluffed

"Yeah, that's it. I'm sure he has to be interested in one of them, probably Manny. She seems like she would be his type."

"What's going on JT? Why the sudden interest in the dating habits of Luke Carter?" Toby pried for information.

"Nothing, I just…nothing. Look, don't wait for me at lunch today ok?"

"Why, where are you gonna be?"

"I've just been thinking about what you said the other day, about Liberty and making sure that she is eating; so I'm gonna take her lunch...you know, for the baby's sake."

"Great plan, I think she usual stays in the editing room during lunch period; maybe after this you two can…"

Toby was interrupted from finishing his statement, because of the loud laughter that was coming from the entrance to the classroom. JT didn't need to turn around because he knew the source all too well.

"I have to get to class but I'll finish the story later."

"Good, because I need some time to recover from that last part." Liberty held her stomach as she regained her composure.

JT didn't see the object of her amusement, but he was pretty sure he knew who was responsible; and the sound of his voice followed by her laughter made the blood rush to his head.

Liberty entered the classroom, and continued to giggle as she walked to her seat.

"Do you mind, some of us are trying to work." JT scoffed as she passed his desk

"Toby, would you please tell your friend that class has not even started yet, and I am free to laugh if I like."

"JT what are you doing, don't start a fight with her. I thought you were going to try and work on things at lunch today." Toby whispered

"I was...I mean I am...just leave me alone Toby."

JT stood outside the editing room holding a tuna sub in his hands and willing himself to go inside. He knew that she was in there, but his stomach twisted in knots at the thought that she may not be alone. As he knocked he said a silent prayer that he would finally be able to have a civilized conversation with Liberty and maybe even mend some fences.

"Come in." Liberty responded to the knock.

JT opened the door and was relieved to find the room empty except for Liberty.

"JT, what can I do for you?" Her greeting was distant.

"Just thought I would bring you some lunch, we don't get to see you in the caf anymore, so.."

"What is it?" Liberty asked as the smell found her nose.

"Tuna sub. I remember how much you loved these things, and I even made sure they put extra pickles and mustard. I couldn't kiss you for hours after you used to eat these things." JT laughed and paid no attention to the fact that the color was now draining from Liberty's face.

"Why would you do that?" Liberty asked as she covered her mouth and nose with her hand.

"I just...wanted to make sure you had lunch. Not that I was worried about you or anything. I just figured pregnant woman are supposed to always be hungry so…"

JT stopped talking long enough to notice Liberty holding her belly and making her way towards the door.

"I'm gonna be sick!" She moaned as she ran from the editing room as fast as her pregnant body would allow.

Emma and Manny watched as she pushed her way into girl's washroom just in time to lose the entire contents of her stomach onto the floor.

"Oh God, sweetie what happened?" Emma said

"JT happened. He came into the editing room waving around this disgusting tuna sub. He tried to make me sick on purpose. What kind of person does something like that?"

"I'm sure he didn't mean to make you sick." Manny said as she handed Liberty paper towels to clean the signs of sickness that had stained her shirt. "Let's get you cleaned up and see if we can find you another top, and I'll get the janitor."

Emma helped Liberty while Manny left to find JT.

"What did you do?" Manny asked angrily when she found JT looking confused and standing outside the bathroom.

"I didn't do anything. Toby said I should take her lunch so I took her lunch."

"Not a smelly tuna sub you doofus!"

"How was I supposed to know it would make her sick? Just make sure no one comes in and I'll go talk to her."

"She's not gonna want to talk to you." Manny stopped him before he could make a move. "She thinks you made her sick on purpose."

"What! How could she think that?

"Gee I don't know…maybe she thinks that because you have been absolutely useless during this whole pregnancy, maybe she thinks that because every time you come around things go from bad to worst for her, or just maybe she thinks that because not once during this whole thing, have you bothered to think about what was best for her or the baby."

"How would you know?" JT said defensively

"Because if you had, you would have known that she still gets morning, afternoon, and evening sickness, and therefore stinky tuna subs might not be the best thing for her!"

"Manny you know I tried in the beginning." JT tried to plead his case. "It just got all wrong, and…"

"And then you quit on her." Manny filled in the blank. "Listen I can't stand here arguing with you, I have to find a clean shirt for Liberty, and find the janitor."

"Here." JT took the shirt off his back and handed it to Manny. "Give her this and tell her I'm sorry; I'll go find the janitor."

Manny's heart tugged just a little as she watched a visibly shaken JT run down the hall in his t-shirt to get the janitor.

Manny was nervous as she handed Liberty the shirt. She wasn't sure if she would recognize it as being JT's and the last thing she wanted was to upset Liberty any more than she already was. But much to her surprise, Liberty only glanced at the shirt for a moment before she put it on. Emma and Manny were escorting Liberty out of the bathroom when the janitor arrived with Toby and Luke close behind.

"What happened?" Luke asked as he walked up to Liberty.

"Let's just say a series of unfortunate events. I'm feeling pretty retched right now." Liberty said as she took the bag that contained her soiled shirt from Emma and shoved it in her book bag.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Luke asked

"I don't want to get you in trouble for skipping class."

"It's still lunch period. I have plenty of time to drop you home and come back before second bell. Come on."

Luke picked up Liberty's book bag, and led her to his car.

And JT stood in the background silently cursing his own stupidity.

The next day found JT angry at the world and ready for a fight. It started when he mistakenly brushed his teeth with his grandmother's denture grip instead of toothpaste. He followed that by ripping a hole in one of his favorite t-shirts and almost castrating himself with his own zipper. He snapped at his grandmother when she asked him to take out the garbage, there was no milk for his cereal, he burnt his toast, and he topped it off by almost running over his neighbor's dog.

By the time he arrived at Degrassi his mood was no better. And it didn't help that he was beat out of a parking space by…who else.

"What do you think your doing?" JT jumped out of his car and yelled at Luke.

"Looks like I'm parking, smart one." Luke replied with a smile

"You saw me sitting there, I was about to pull in."

"Yeah, well have you ever heard of a signal? Because I didn't see a signal, and unless you signal how the hell is anyone suppose to know if your trying to park or just sitting there pissin away time." Luke said as he got of his car.

JT took a step closer to Luke and Luke stood his ground. He had JT in height by several inches, but the way JT felt right now, he was willing to risk it.

"Mr. Yorke, could you please move your car, you're blocking traffic." Mr. Simpson said in response to the angry students that had started to honk their horns.

JT backed up but he didn't take his eyes off Luke and Luke returned the favor.

"You have some real jerks at this school." Luke remarked when he found Liberty at her locker.

"No more than any other school." Liberty replied casually as she got her books out for the morning.

"Well I met your head jerk in the parking lot. The guy was just sitting there daydreaming so I went around him to park and he jumps out of his car like he wants to fight me or something."

"That sounds like Jay; he is a jerk but mostly talk."

"That's the guy right over there." Luke nodded his head in the direction of JT who had just appeared at his locker and slammed his book bag on the ground.

"JT?" Liberty looked shocked

"I guess that's what Manny called him when she introduced us awhile back? Do you know him?"

"Intimately." Liberty replied sadly.

Luke looked down at Liberty's belly. "No way! That's your ex boyfriend, the father of your baby?"

Liberty put her head down and exhaled deeply. "One and the same."

"You never told me that your ex went to this school."

"I never told you anything about my ex. And why would I? The only reason you know I've had any past relationships is because the proof is here for the world to see. But I can give you the cliff note version if you want. It's not exactly something that I'm proud of, but here goes...girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, boy get girl pregnant, and boy leaves girl to deal with the aftermath on her own; while he proceeds to go on with his life as if nothing has happened. It's a classic tragedy, Shakespeare himself couldn't have written it any better."

"So he just watches you walk around day after day carrying his kid and he doesn't say anything?"

"JT doesn't care about anyone but JT. So it's easy." As the decision went on about JT and Liberty's failed relationship, Luke became more confused. Liberty sounded over him, but there was still a very sad look in her eyes, and Luke didn't know what to make of it.

"Let me finish telling you the story I started yesterday. That should put a smile back on your face." Luke needed to change the subject both for Liberty and himself.

"Ok, but let me go to the bathroom first, if you make me laugh again like yesterday I'm gonna pee my pants."

When Liberty went into the bathroom Luke took the opportunity to approach JT.

"No hard feeling about earlier." Luke extended his hand to JT...and JT ignored him.

"Listen man, this school is not that big and we are going to see each other around. And you may not like it, but I you know I've been hanging out with Liberty, and I plan on hanging out with her a lot more, so we might as well try to get along."

"What do I care who Liberty hangs out with? She's not my problem anymore."

"Good it sounds like we understand each other. I don't have a beef with you, as long as you stay away from Liberty."

JT looked up straight into Luke's eyes to see if he was serious.

"You're kidding me right? She's carrying my kid or hasn't she told you the baby's mine?"

"Yeah she told me, but you just said she wasn't your problem anymore; and the way I see it, any guy who would describe Liberty as a problem...doesn't deserve her."

"So what, has she appointed you her personal defender?"

"Defender? Nah, I'm just a friend…for now."

"What's going on?" Liberty asked when she returned from the bathroom.

"Nothing." JT remarked quietly

"Just getting things straight from earlier." Luke smiled

"Ok," Liberty looked unconvinced. "Well I gotta get to class."

"I'll walk you." Luke smiled

JT turned and watched Luke and Liberty walk down the hall side by side. It was a scene he would be forced to see repeated many times over the next few months.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Five

Liberty wasn't sure when she became aware of the change in Luke's feelings towards her. It may have been when their science project was completed and Luke continued to find reasons to spend time with her outside of school. Manny and Emma said they saw it coming a mile away; but Liberty was completely out of her element.

The only boy she had ever loved was JT, and she had carried those feelings around for years before they were returned. Liberty knew that what she was feeling for Luke didn't compare. She enjoyed his friendship, the time they spent together. But anything beyond that…she just wasn't sure.

"Liberty Van Zandt, ditching class. I knew there was a bad girl lurking somewhere under all that academic excellence." Luke joked as he spotted Liberty standing outside during fourth period.

"Ha, ha funny man. I'm waiting for my mother to pick me up; I have a doctor's appointment."

"Didn't you just have one last week? Is everything ok?" Luke worried.

"Yeah everything is fine, but I'm almost into my ninth month; and the doctor wants to keep close watch on everything. She acts like I could have this baby any day now, but I don't feel any different."

"Well I didn't want to say anything but your stomach looks like it doubled in size over the last 24 hours."

"You're not supposed to say stuff like that to a pregnant women." Liberty punched Luke playfully.

"I said your belly got bigger, I didn't say _you_ got any bigger. Everything else about you looks fine, and then there's this…." Luke reached out to touch Liberty's stomach but she moved away.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" He grimaced.

"No, it's just weird…I can't explain it. I-I just don't feel comfortable with anyone touching my stomach…it's not you."

Liberty lied, because it was Luke. Manny, Emma, even Toby had touched her belly at one time or another, but for some reason when Luke tried to touch it, it felt…wrong.

Luke seemed hurt as he put his hands in his pockets, and shuffled his feet nervously. "Well I guess I better go before I'm late."

"Wait…I didn't want you to go; I mean it's nice to have some company while I wait."

"I'm glad to hear you say that you enjoy my company Liberty, because spending time with you…it's like the highlight of my day."

"Than you really need a hobby, because that sounds pretty pathetic. I mean, I am not exactly the life of the party." Liberty joked

"I'm serious Liberty." Luke said as he took her hand. "I haven't stopped thinking about you since the first day I met you. I call you almost everyday, I walk you to class, we hang out on the weekends…some people might say that was boyfriend behavior."

"Some might." Liberty lowered her eyes and said with a slight smile

"Well, what would you say?" Luke asked as he took a step towards her.

"I would say that you must be crazy. Why would any guy want Degrassi's poster child for family planning to be his girlfriend? I mean look at me."

"I do…everyday…every chance I get."

Liberty could feel herself blushing as she thought of another reason to turn Luke down. "Than I would say my life is really complicated right now, too complicated to burden anyone else with."

"Well, what if I said that complicated is my specialty? What if I said you are the most amazing girl I have met in a long time, and that I just want you to give us a chance. I know that JT hurt you and you are just getting over that; but I'm not like him Liberty."

Luke had no idea just how true his words were. The mention of JT's name made her flash back to their first kiss, their first dance, the first time he had whispered I love you in her ear and made her knees weak and her mouth water, and her stomach queasy all at the same time. The first time they shared their bodies with one another. 'Just getting over JT?' Liberty wasn't completely sure about that.

The honking of her mother's horn reminded Liberty of her reason for being outside in the first place.

"I'll call you later." Luke called as she slid into the passengers' seat of her mother's car.

Liberty knew by the expression on her mothers face that finding her daughter standing so close and holding hands with a boy was not on her list of acceptable behavior for a girl who was supposed to be working to gaining back her parents trust and her reputation.

"Liberty…what's going on with you and Luke?" Her mother's voice was full of concern as she pulled out of the Degrassi parking lot.

"Nothing mom, he's a good friend." Liberty buckled her seatbelt and avoided her mother's questioning eyes.

"I'm worried about you Liberty. We haven't even finished this mess with JT and you're already off to another boy. Your father and I didn't raise you like that."

"Mother, would you stop overreacting? I am not 'off to another boy,' why do you and Daddy think that when it comes to guys and girls there can only be one thing going on?"

"Because we were young once Liberty, your father and I only want what's best for you. We don't want to see you get hurt. You know sometimes boys see a girl in your position and they think…well you know what they think."

"You've met Luke Mom, do you really think he's like that? Beside, if that's all he wanted don't you think he would wait until after I had the baby, and then try to date me?"

"So he is trying to date you?"

"Like I said…we're friends."

"You do realize that is the same thing you said about JT, and we can see where that friendship got you?"

"Yeah well, that was different," Liberty said as she turned her attention out the window.

"Luke isn't JT."

Liberty was sure she knew who was calling that evening when she got home, so she didn't bother to look at the caller id before she picked up the telephone.

"You're so predictable." She joked

"Am I?"

"JT?"

"Yeah, did you think I was someone else, Luke maybe?"

"What do you want JT." She sighed.

"I want to know what's going on with the baby, Emma told me you left early for a doctor's appointment. I want to know what happened."

"The doctor said everything is fine."

"And…" he pressed.

"And nothing, the baby has a strong heartbeat, she's gained another pound and…"

"Wait, _she_…"

"What?"

"You just said she, is it a girl Liberty, did you find out that we're having a girl?"

"No, I just…ok sometimes I imagine that it's a girl, and I may have dreamt it once or twice. I guess it was just a slip of the tongue; but _we_ are not having anything; the Michelle's, or the Lewis' are."

"So you still don't know which family you're going to chose?"

"No I don't know. You do understand that it's not like choosing toppings at a salad bar. This is probably the most important discussion I will ever have to make."

"Well one of them has to be better than the other." JT reasoned.

"No, they are both really great couples actually. It just doesn't feel completely right yet. I have a meeting with both couples at the agency tomorrow."

"What time?"

"3 o'clock, why?"

"Because I want to be there.

"JT, I don't know what you're up to,"

"Quit being so suspicious of me Liberty, I'm not up to anything. We are almost done with this whole thing ok. Just let me meet the people who will be raising my child and then you can hand the baby over and you won't have to deal with me again."

"You make it sound so…final." Liberty felt a sudden sting of sadness.

Adoptions usually are." JT was quick to point out.

"No…I mean the not dealing with you again part."

"Yeah well, that seems to be the way you want it." There was along uncomfortable pause. "Anyway I'll see you tomorrow at 3."

The phone went dead before Liberty had a chance to respond to JT's comment. Was that the way she wanted it? She wasn't sure. How would she feel once the pregnancy was over and she no longer had to "deal with" JT. Suddenly the thought of not having a reason to talk to him again didn't sit well with her.

Feeling very tired both physically and mentally, Liberty told her mother to hold any calls for the rest of the evening. If this phone call was any indication, she would need her rest, because some how she knew that tomorrow would be a day full of challenges.

When Liberty and her parents pulled up to the agency JT was already there, leaning against his car in the parking lot.

"What is he doing here?" Liberty's father immediately became agitated.

"He wants to meet the parents and help Liberty make a decision." Her mother spoke up for her. "It's actually the first mature thing he has done in a long time."

As Liberty got out of the car and walked towards him, JT noticed that she wore a pair of maternity jeans that actually fit her, and a pretty blue baby doll top that hung nicely over her belly. Gone where the baggy jeans, and over sized sweaters and jackets. He wondered how long she had been dressing like that and why he hadn't notice before.

"Been here long?" Liberty greeted him.

"No I just got here. You look very…pregnant"

_Very pregnant! Stupid JT, really stupid!_ He silently chastised himself.

"Excuse me?"

"No...No, what I meant was your not hiding under those baggy clothes anymore, you look nice."

"The whole world already knows, so there's no point in hiding."

"Ok let's not keep these people waiting." Liberty's father interrupted what he thought was a bit too cozy of a conversation.

JT, Liberty and her parents met with each couple one at a time. They asked entirely the right questions, and got the perfect answers; too perfect in JT's opinion. Each couple seemed to have an unlimited amount of knowledge about any and every situation that could arise when raising a child. They didn't seem nervous or unsure about anything. JT knew the game of telling someone what you think they want to hear; he had played it like a champ many times. To him, both these couples seem too anxious to sell themselves, as if his child was a prize that needed to be won. It left a very bad taste in his mouth.

"How is it that you seemed to know everything there is to know about raising kids but you've never had one?" JT asked the Michelle's. Liberty's mother cleared her throat to signal the inappropriateness of the question.

"Well…we have taken several baby/newborn classes to prepare for the first year. And we've read lots of books." Mrs. Michelle stated nervously.

"And don't forget about Tyler, he's my 4 year old nephew, we baby-sit for him a lot and it's just a joy." Mr. Mitchelle added.

"Some how I don't think raising my child is going to be like babysitting." JT stated smugly.

When it came to the Lewis', they both had PhD's in early childhood behavior, and as far as they were concerned that was all the qualifications they needed. When the two couple were gone JT, Liberty and her parents sat down with the adoption counselor to discuss their decision.

"I really like the Michelle's." Liberty began. "I like that they are a biracial couple, I think it will help the baby to be raised by people who will understand his or her mixed culture."

"I don't see what that has to do with anything." JT commented in frustration.

"Well it could be helpful in terms of adjustment and fitting in when the child is older." The counselor explained to JT.

"I don't know, I came here expecting to feel better about the whole thing, but I just don't. Liberty are you sure you want to do this?" JT turned to her.

"Yes she's sure." Her father spoke up.

"Well I'm not." JT responded

"Listen boy." Liberty's father stood up and raised his voice. "I see what you're trying to do. I sat here and watched you try to grill that poor couple with those inappropriate questions; like they were criminals."

"You call trying to find out something deeper than how much money they make and were they went to university grilling? This is my child we are talking about, and as far as I am concerned there is no inappropriate question!"

"Liberty is making this decision and she doesn't need any input from you." Mr. Van Zandt yelled ignoring his daughters tears.

"Harold please." Her mother whispered trying to calm him down.

"I am sure if we all just remain calm, and remember that we are all here to do what's right for the baby, we can come to an agreement." The adoption counselor tried to restore order to the room.

"Now because Liberty is in the final stages of her pregnancy; time is a factor in getting the baby placed. Does anyone have any other questions they would like to have addressed before we make a final decision?"

"You can't do this if I don't sign over my rights, is that correct?" JT's question drew the angry stares of the adults in the room, and it turned the switch for Liberty's tears to begin to flow full force again.

"Um…yes that is correct. We can't force you to terminate your parental rights unless…"

"Unless we take you to court; which is exactly what I will do if you try to stop this." Liberty's father sat on the edge of his seat with his fist in knots. If it had not been for Mrs. Van Zandt's hand on his shoulder; he would have surely pounced on JT.

"Well I guess I'll see you in court because I'm not signing anything." JT left the office with Liberty right on his heels.

"I knew you were up to something!" Liberty yelled at him through her tears. "Why are you doing this?"

JT stopped in his tracks and walked back to face her.

"Liberty," He took a deep breath and exhaled. "I know how this looks, but you have to believe me, I didn't expect to feel this way when I got here. I really thought I would meet these people, and one of them would feel right, and that would be it. I thought I could do it…but I can't."

"Today you want to keep her, tomorrow you will want to give her up again. I can't keep living in this ping pong game that you call life; and I won't let my baby be apart of it either."

JT made a bold move and reached out and placed his hand on Liberty's belly.

"There's a part of me in there Liberty, and a part of you; don't ask me to give that up…because I won't."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A|N: Here's a huge hint…by the end of this chapter, Liberty won't be pregnant anymore! **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter Six

"I was beginning to think you were avoiding me." Luke found Liberty sitting on the steps outside of the gym. "I've been calling, but your mother said you weren't accepting calls, should I take a hint?" Luke joked

Liberty tried to put on a smile, but instead tears began to flow.

"Everything is a mess." She sobbed. "JT says he won't sign over his rights when the baby is born. My father is threatening to take him to court, but he doesn't care. He says he'll raise the baby by himself if he has to."

"Ok Liberty calm down." Luke put his arm around her. "JT is not going to take this baby. He's bluffing. He sees how good you are doing without him and he wants to hurt you."

"I don't know; he seems serious."

"Well if he is, than your fathers a lawyer, I'm sure he can stop him. JT has enough stuff in his past, with the attempted suicide, that no judge would side with him."

"I don't want it to come to that. I don't want to drag his name through the mud, and I don't want my baby to be caught up in the middle of some ugly custody dispute. I just want what's best for everyone."

"Well I want what's best for you; and worrying about JT Yorke is nowhere on that list. I could talk to him; try to get him to see how crazy this is."

"No." Liberty said firmly. "He would never listen to you. Maybe I should try to talk to him again; just the two of us with out my parents or anyone else around."

"I don't think that's a good idea. You don't need to get stressed out anymore, and you know that happens every time you're around him." Luke took Liberty's hand and helped her to her feet. "I have an idea, how about you and I go for a long drive after school, anywhere you want."

"That sounds nice, but I'm really tired, I hardly slept at all last night. Can I take a rain check?"

"Sure, you know I can't say no to you." Luke said as he started to walk her to class.

"Oh wait I can't walk you to class, that's a boyfriends' job. And last time I checked I wasn't your boyfriend." Luke half joked.

"Luke…" Liberty began to object

"Stop thinking of reasons to say no, and think of reasons to say yes." He begged

"You are relentless." Liberty looked at him for a long moment. With JT every emotion was multiplied by a thousand; love, hate, passion, anger, she felt them all, in every part of her being.

But maybe that was the problem, Liberty reasoned. Her heart ruled when it came to JT, this time she would do what she did best, she would listen to her head and make a smart, reasonable, logical decision.

"Luke and Liberty does have a nice ring to it." Liberty smiled

"So sweet I need an insulin injection." Luke leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"You did what?" Toby grabbed JT arm to stop him as they walked down the hall.

"I told them I wouldn't sign the adoption papers."

"Listen I know you're upset about the whole Luke/Liberty thing, but there is no way you can be serious about raising this kid on your own. What did your grandmother say?"

"She said I was being crazy and irrational. But she also knows that I'm serious. This is not about Liberty and Luke. Toby, it's about me. Most of the people who have meant the most to me are out of my life…my mother, my father, Liberty. Other than my grandmother, this baby is all I have left. I'm not going to just give her away because she's coming at an inconvenient time."

"Look, I think your nuts thinking you can keep this baby and raise it."

"Would you say that Liberty was nuts if she said that she wanted to keep the baby?"

"Probably not, but your not Liberty. I mean look at you, your messy…unfocused, unorganized, goofy JT."

Toby had intended his comment as a joke, but the look on JT's face said that it was taken as anything but.

"I get it Tobes ok. I have been a screw up for so long that no one believes I can change. Well you don't have to believe it, and neither does Liberty. I don't know when it happened, but one day I looked up and this baby wasn't this thing that was ruining my life anymore…it was my child. I see things differently now Tobes; I just wish I had wised up before I lost Liberty."

"Maybe it's not too late. No one knows for sure that she and Luke are really a couple. If you tell her what you just told me…"

As Toby spoke, JT spotted Luke walking down the hall holding Liberty's hand, carrying her book bag, and kissing her on the cheek.

"You were saying something about it not being too late." JT nodded his head towards the happy couple.

"Ok…so maybe it is too late, but listen, I've got your back what ever happens."

"Thanks Tobes." JT said as he watched Luke make a big production of helping Liberty get her books out of her locker. "I have a feeling I'm going to need all the help I can get."

That night proved to be just as restless for Liberty, but this time it wasn't from worry, it was from the dull ache in her lower back. The next morning she woke up feeling like the baby in her stomach had gained ten pounds; and all ten were sitting on her bladder. She went to the bathroom five times before she left for school, and three more times during first period.

"Liberty are you ok?" Manny asked when she passed Liberty leaning against her locker.

"I'm fine my back just hurts a little."

"Are you sure…because you don't look so good." Manny replied.

"I'm sure. I'll be better when I get to class and sit down."

Liberty slowly made her way to media emersion and Manny made her way to find JT.

"How long has your back been hurting?" JT asked Liberty when he got to class

_Manny and her big mouth _Liberty thought.

"Since last night." Liberty grimaced. "It's probably nothing, probably stress." Liberty cut her eyes at JT.

"Well I read in a book that labor sometimes starts with a dull backache. So maybe we should get you to the doctors just to be sure."

"When did you read a book about labor?" Liberty wondered.

"I've had a lot of free time on my hands lately ok. Anyway, it said that could be a sign of labor."

"I'm not in labor JT. I had a checkup three days ago and the doctor said I wasn't dilated; and I'm not having contraction; just this stupid backache and having to pee every five minutes. Not to mention you being a pain in my neck right now."

JT went to his seat, while Liberty made yet another trip to the bathroom.

"10:05, 10:10, 10:15, what is this?" Toby questioned the list of times that JT jotted down on a piece of paper.

"I think Liberty is in labor and she doesn't even know it." JT whispered. "Watch…every five minutes or so she rubs her back, wrinkles up her face and wiggles around in her chair…see."

Toby watched as exactly five minutes after the last time listed on the paper, Liberty behaved just as JT had predicted.

"So what should we do?" Toby asked

"We're gonna have to get her to the hospital as soon as the period is over."

Ten minutes later Mr. Simpson dismissed the class and everyone got up to leave.

Everyone except Liberty. She sat at her desk gripping the sides of her chair.

"Liberty?" Emma bent down and touched her shoulder.

"Ohhhh" Was the only sound Liberty could make.

"She's in labor." JT spoke up as he walked over to help Liberty stand up. We need to get her to the hospital.

"Well, shouldn't we tell a teacher or something?" Manny reasoned

"No, I don't want the whole world to know." Liberty begged

"Don't worry Liberty, Toby and I are going to take you." JT said as he took her by the arm.

"Liberty, what's going on?" Luke walked into the class just as JT was escorting her out.

"She's having the baby; we're taking her to the hospital." Toby held up his keys

"Oh no you don't." Luke took hold of her other arm. "That piece of crap you drive will never make it."

"JT rode with me today, so we don't have a choice."

"Yes we do, my car. Come on princess." Luke tried to wrap his arm around Liberty's waist.

"Get outta here! She's my…"

"What, she's your what…" Luke dared JT to finish that sentence.

"Ohhhh" Liberty let out another moan.

"Look, Toby's car is too unpredictable, so unless you and JT want to deliver this baby on the side of the road I suggest you let Luke take her. We can follow behind." Emma reasoned with Toby and JT.

JT relinquished his hold on Liberty and watched as Luke all but carried her to the car.

"JT…JT…" Manny tried to get his attention to distract him from what was taking place.

"Here, take Liberty's cell and call her parents. I'll go get Danny out of class and Toby and Emma will bring the car around.

Nothing was happening the way Liberty expected it to. She never expected to face the embarrassment of going into labor at school; or to be driven to the hospital by her boyfriend of exactly 24 hours, who didn't happen to be the baby's father.

When Liberty arrived at the hospital she was checked and found to be already at eight centimeters; which was another surprise. But the biggest surprise of all was the pain. She had read the books and gone to a few classes, but nothing on the planet could have prepared her for the agony that she was now experiencing.

JT barely let Toby slow down the car, before he jumped out and ran into the hospital. When he got to the labor and delivery floor he found Luke sitting in the hall with his head between his knees; looking green.

"Where's Liberty?" JT panted to catch his breath.

"In there." Luke pointed to the door directly in front of him. "I couldn't…"

JT didn't stick around to listen to Luke's explanation as to why he had left Liberty on her own. He just walked into the room and came face to face with the most heart breaking site he had ever seen.

Liberty lay on her side with her eyes closed tight and tears running down her cheeks. A rather large nurse with very pale skin and flaming red hair was speaking softly to her and wiping blood from her arm. "It's ok sweetie, I am so sorry I had to do that to you. You just have such teeny tiny little vanes and it was hard to get the needle in."

"Liberty." JT said her name softly when the nurse was finished speaking.

Liberty opened her eyes for a moment, but the only sound that came from her mouth was a moan that signaled the beginning of another contraction.

"I'm sorry young man, but only the father and immediate family are allowed in the labor room." The nurse spoke to JT as she eyed Liberty's contraction on the monitor.

"I am the father." JT stepped forward and began stoking Liberty's head.

"Oh I'm sorry hun; I just naturally thought the other young man who came with her was. He was so concerned… that is until I started putting the IV in." The nurse laughed, "Then he almost went down like a ton of bricks."

"How is she doing?" JT signaled that he was more concerned about Liberty's well being than Luke's weak constitution.

"She's a champ, I've seen grown women twice her age come in here yelling loud enough to shatter glass. Her blood pressures a bit high, but we'll keep a close eye on that."

"Her blood pressures high; could that be from stress?" JT asked nervously

"Sure it could, labor is a stressful time, but we'll watch it because if it stays high for too long, it could start to affect the baby."

"What if she was under stress before she went into labor, could that hurt the baby?"

"There's no need to worry honey, we have everything under control. She and the baby are doing just fine. Now Liberty, do you think you're ready to have something for the pain?"

Liberty's only response was to reach for JT's hand and squeeze.

"I think that's a yes." He said as he felt his finger started to go numb.

"I will get the doctor in here asap, so she can check her and get her some relief, you've earned it honey." The nurse gave Liberty's leg a gentle pat as she left to page the doctor.

"Ok Liberty, the nurse said you're doing great, and the doctor is going to give you something for the pain real soon." JT rubbed her hand as he stood in awe of everything she was going through to bring their child into the world.

"Don't leave me." Liberty said just barely above a whisper.

"I won't Libby," JT answered as he kissed her forehead. "I am going to stay right here, I promise. I'm so sorry I upset you so much, not just the other day, but through this whole thing. This pregnancy is all my fault. If I hadn't talked you into foolin around with that king sized condom…what was I thinking? That was so immature. You were right to kick my sorry butt to the curb I was so stupid…"

"Stop talking." Liberty moaned. "Please."

JT immediately implemented her request and stood beside her quietly, only responding to her need for ice chips and to have her forehead wiped until the doctor arrived.

"Hello I'm Dr. Clark." The doctor greeted JT with a hand shake. "And you are?"

"JT Yorke, I'm the baby's father." JT become suddenly ashamed of the fact that he didn't know the doctor, because he had not accompanied Liberty to a single doctor's visit.

"This little one has quit a fan club cheering her on outside. Now let's see if we can't get you the heavenly gift of an epidural."

Liberty's legs trembled as she repositioned herself to allow the doctor to examine her. JT felt very uncomfortable seeing her in this position, but as the urge to leave came over him, he remembered his promise and stood his ground.

"Ugh oh." The doctor said after scarcely taking a moment to examine her.

"Ugh oh, what?" JT asked nervously, as Liberty moaned.

"This baby appears to be in quit a hurry, she's already crowning we don't have time for an epidural. It's time to push."

"Push…no I'm not ready." Liberty clung to JT, "I want my epidural please." Liberty begged.

"I know you do Libby but this baby is an overachiever just like you, we don't have time."

"Please JT, I'm begging you, I can't do this. I'm so tired…please…I want my mother." Liberty cried as the fact that she was a sixteen year old about to bring life into the world came flooding forth.

"She's not here yet, but I'm here." JT smoothed her hair as the doctors and nurses rushed around preparing all the necessary equipment.

"I'm scared! Oh God…I-I can't take the pain anymore, make it stop!" Liberty screamed out for the first time since her labor began.

"Isn't there anything you can give her; she's suffering." JT's mental agony was a close match for Liberty's physical pain.

"Women have been doing this since the beginning of time, and she'll do just fine." The pale red head nurse spoke as she got Liberty in a position to push.

"Now you let it out, scream all you want, this is the hardest part. You don't have to be brave or strong for anybody, do you hear me? Now you're going to take a deep breath and push down into you bottom while I count to ten. Ok deep breath in, and one, two, three…"

And with those words JT and Liberty began the final lap of the saga that had been nine months in the making. As Luke and company stood on the other side of the door and listened, Liberty and JT struggled to bring their child into the world. Liberty's parents arrived just as Liberty was giving her last few pushes.

"Where is she?" Mrs. Van Zandt asked breathless when she arrived with her husband.

"She's in this room." Luke pointed out

"Why aren't you with her Danny?" Mrs. Van Zandt asked

"What…yuck, no way!" Danny responded

"Then who is in there with her?" Mr. Van Zandt asked

"JT is." Toby spoke up. "He's been with her the whole time."

Mr. and Mrs. Van Zandt gave each other worried glances as they hurried inside to assist their daughter.

"Couple more and we are home free." The doctor encouraged

"I can't…it huuurrts!"

"Push through the pain" The nurse encouraged

"I see a face Liberty, and lots of dark hair. One more push and you will have your baby." The doctor began to suction out the babies noise and prepared to deliver the rest of the body.

JT wanted to turn away, but he couldn't. As the face of his child became visible…shoulders, neck, chest…and….

**A|N: One hell of a cliff hanger! Tee hee hee. **

***Ducks behind laptop***

**Fear not dear hearts, you'll only have to wait a few hours…24 at the most.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I know, hard to believe right? I'm actually updating. I won't get into where I've been and what took me so long. Just know that this story is complete, and my badass beta has the next four chapters waiting to drop as soon as she crosses the "T's" and dots the "I's". I gave her a lot to work with today and she's knockin it out the park…thanks MadeJade.**

**I want to thank you guys for being loyal and patient. But enough emo crap…go read.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but a cool new cell phone. Jiberty would still be around if I did. I don't profit from any of this.**

Chapter Seven

"She's…perfect." JT stood in awe of the tiny life that he had helped to create.

"She is a beautiful baby, Liberty," Her mother said as she walked over to the baby warmer to view her granddaughter.

"I can't believe she's really here." Liberty couldn't take her eyes off her daughter.

While JT, Liberty, and Mrs. Van Zandt fussed over the new baby, Harold Van Zandt stayed by the door unwilling to look. "I guess I should go call the adoption agency," he spoke up quickly.

"Harold wait, just come look at her."

"No," was his only response as he left the room.

Liberty looked at her Mother and silently pleaded for her to intervene.

"I'll talk to him, honey. Don't worry." Mrs. Van Zandt left to find her husband. She didn't have to look far, as she found him down the hall in the canteen.

"Harold, we need to talk about this," his wife began

"I don't want to talk about it, Carol. She's determined to ruin her life. There is no way she can have the life she deserves with a baby."

"Well there is no way she is going to give that baby up. I see it in her face. She is in love with that little girl, and I must say I am a bit taken with her myself. She's our granddaughter Harold, our flesh and blood."

"A baby…at 16, Carol, this is not the way it was supposed to happen. She was supposed to finish school, go to university, start a career then get married and have a family."

"What's done is done; we can't turn back the hands of time. Now Liberty is going to keep this baby; of that much I am sure. And she is going to do it with or without our help. Are you really going to turn your back on her now?"

"She's turning her back on everything we've taught her, and for what, for that boy?"

"No, for her baby."

"I feel like a failure, Carol." Mr. Van Zandt let his true emotions about Liberty's pregnancy be seen for the first time. "Where was I when she was getting so deeply involved with him? I should have stopped it. Kept him from the house, moved her to a different school. Anything. It was my job to keep my kids from making these kinds of mistakes, and I failed."

"You're wrong, honey. Our job isn't to keep them from making mistakes; it's to be there to support them when they do. Our kids are not little clones of us, Harold. They are young people with their own lives to live, their own thoughts and feelings, and like it or not, they are going to make their own choices in life. Some will be good and some won't. You have been a great father, a bit heavy handed at times, but your heart has always been in the right place. Now Liberty doesn't need to be reminded about the mistakes that she has made. She needs our help to move past them and make the best life she can for herself and her daughter."

"And what about the boy, he's a 17 year old clown. Am I supposed to believe that he is really going to be around to help raise this child?"

"Regardless of how we felt about him in the past, you have to admit this last week he has stood up for himself and his child. He was with her for the whole delivery. Neither of us can say that. I have a feeling that the final chapter for those two has yet to be written. But in the mean time, I am sure that a little encouragement and support from us could do a lot to help him find his way. He wants to do the right thing, he just goes about it the wrong way sometimes…just like someone else I know." Mrs. Van Zandt lovingly kissed her husband on the cheek.

Meanwhile outside of Liberty's room, JT was delivering news of his precious baby girls' arrival. "It was amazing. Liberty was amazing. She was so strong and the baby, she's the most beautiful baby. I mean when I saw that little head and than her little face…"

"Ok spare us the gory details and just give us the vital statistics," Toby interrupted.

"Yeah who does she look like, and what's her name?" Manny jumped in.

"They don't get to name her, the adoptive parents do," Danny corrected.

"Liberty hasn't taken her eyes off that baby since she got here, believe me there isn't going to be any adoption," JT said proudly.

"Well do we get to go in and see her?" Emma asked.

"Sure. Liberty is pretty tired, but I'm sure she would love to see you guys for a few minutes."

Inside, Liberty was introducing her visitors to her daughter and listening to them debate the origins of her facial features while outside, JT and Luke stood silently facing each other across the hall like cowboys of the old west, each waiting for the other to shout _draw_.

"I should say congratulations…I guess," Luke shot first.

"Thank you…I guess," JT shot back

"Bet you've got it all figured out. You, Liberty and the baby living happily ever after."

"Why are you still here. I was sure you would be passed out on a gurney somewhere. Big man can't take the sight of blood…pathetic." JT shook his head and turned to leave.

"You may have been able to convince Liberty to keep this baby, but that doesn't mean she is going to take you back. Being with you was the worst mistake she ever made."

"Since when did you become the authority on Liberty's life?"

"Since I became her boyfriend, and those aren't my words, they're hers," Luke lied. "What you and Liberty had was…let me see, how did she put it…silly high school puppy love. A regrettable blip on the radar of her life."

"You've known Liberty for what…five minutes? I've known her for five years. We have a long history together. You could never understand what we mean to each other."

"The key word in that statement is _history_. Pasy tense. Face it, kid, you were way out of your league from the word go. Liberty is brilliant and beautiful and you're…a joke. Have you looked at her lately, she's happy and in love. Are you really that selfish that you would try to destroy that for her with your "too little too late" notions of reuniting?"

"She's in love with you…I mean you have heard those words come out of her mouth?" JT knew that Liberty would never say something like that unless it was truly what she felt in her heart.

"Do you want me to tell you about the first time she said it, or the last time," Luke answered smugly. He knew that with each lie he was digging himself in deeper and deeper, but all was fair in love and war, and this defiantly fell into both those categories. He convinced himself that he was doing what was best for Liberty. Just like when he brought her the soup. She didn't even know she wanted it until it was right under her nose. Liberty wanted to love him, Luke was sure of it. She just needed a little help ridding her mind of the excess baggage of JT Yorke.

JT stood silently staring at the floor. He wanted to go to Liberty and ask her himself, but he knew that hearing the words come from her mouth would be so much more painful. Why did he find it so hard to believe that Liberty had fallen in love with someone else? He had given her every reason to fall in love with someone else. He had been selfish and immature, and neglectful for much too long.

"Everything you've said about her is true. She is brilliant, and beautiful, and amazing. I love her, but I have never deserved her." JT spoke more to himself than to Luke. "If Liberty is really in love with you…" he shoved his hands in his pockets and exhaled deeply as he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. "Liberty and I are parents now. We are going to be raising our daughter together. Don't even think about interfering with that…the rest of it is none of my business."

"That's very big of you," Luke said with a smile of victory.

"Whatever. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for Liberty; because she deserves to be happy."

**A/N: So a baby girl! Different from the show, right. I just always pictured JT with a daughter. Leave a review, let me know if you like and even if you don't. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: See I am a woman of my word, two updates in less than 24 hours. No need to thank me, I owe it to those of you who are still faithful Jiberty fans. Thanks to my beta MJ for her mad beta skills, and super speed.**

Chapter Eight

It was hard for Liberty to believe that it had been five weeks since Sophie Grace made her grand appearance into the world. Since then, her days had become filled with learning the ins and outs of motherhood, and trying to keep up with her ever increasing load of school assignments, and she had to admit that without JT, she would have drowned under the weight of it all. At first he had been just like a kid with a new toy, but the kid in him was quickly replaced by the overwhelming desire to be a good parent to this little person who carried his last name.

Other than JT and his grandmother, visitors to the Van Zandt home had been few. Liberty's mother had been very selective about who came into contact with her granddaughter; and while Luke had been allowed to come once, a sneezing fit forced Mrs. Van Zandt to ban him until the end of cold and flu season, much to JT's delight. So it was no surprise to Liberty that it took a whole day of begging before her mother agreed to let Manny and Emma come for a visit, and Liberty couldn't have been happier as she was starved for some normal teenage conversation.

"She is so much bigger than when we saw her in the hospital," Manny commented as she looked into the crib.

"That's because she eats constantly," Liberty joked as they headed down to the living room.

"I still can't believe your father was ok with you deciding to keep her." Emma took a seat next to Liberty.

"He was upset, and at first he wouldn't even look at her. But the day we came home from the hospital he had moved Danny into the basement, and his room was all fixed up for Sophie. I couldn't believe it, but when I started to make a big deal out of it he just said that little girls needed their own space and walked away. He tries to play tough, but I've caught him smiling into her crib on more than one occasion. JT says it's because he's happy that she looks like me and not him."

"So JT and your dad are getting along now?" Manny questioned

"Well their not bosom buddies or anything, but I think JT wanting to name the baby after my grandmother went along way to get on my father's good side. My father was really close to his mother, so when we told him we were naming the baby Sophie, he was pretty happy. After that, he even helped JT get a job in the mailroom at his firm. That's a pretty long way from threatening to strangle him with his bare hands."

"So your dad and JT have decided to play nicely, what about you and JT…and you and Luke? I swear I never thought I would see the day when Liberty Van Zandt would be juggling two guys," Manny joked

"I am not juggling two guys. Luke is my boyfriend and JT is Sophie's father…god I sound like a Lifetime movie of the week." Liberty rolled her eyes. "I like Luke," he is the sweetest guy, he's always thinking about me, and doing little things for me, and he's really smart. He cares about his school work as much as I do, and he's not bad to look at either. And how many guys do you know that would want to date a girl when she's nine months pregnant and as big as a parade float?"

"But he's not JT," Emma sang playfully.

"So?"

"So…JT is funny, and spontaneous, and adorable; all things that you loved," Emma pointed out.

"All things that drove me crazy," Liberty countered. "Ok I'll admit that sometimes I miss the way things were with JT. Little stuff, like I watch him with Sophie and sometimes he tilts his head to one side and looks at her with this grin on his face, and I remember that he used to took at me that way. But Luke is great, he calls me everyday, usually several times a day just to say…well nothing really, but what girl wouldn't want all that attention from a guy?"

"I know I would," Manny said.

"I don't know. A little of that can go a long way," Emma added. "I mean there is something to be said for a guy that's flawed and a little rough around the edges."

"I'm sorry, Emma, but your past loves have been more than rough around the edges. Sean was fresh out of juvie, and don't even get me started on Jay," Liberty laughed

"Okay, Jay was a mistake. A huge mistake. And the stuff about Sean may be true, but that boys kisses were indescribable, and like the song says, if you wanna know if he loves you, it's in his kiss. So let's hear the break down, Kissing 101, JT vs. Luke."

"It's not really a fair comparison," Liberty began. "I mean Luke and I have only kissed once, at the hospital the day I had Sophie. He brought me flowers and before he left he kissed me and said he loved me."

"Oh my Jesus, what did you say?" Manny sat on the edge of her chair.

"Thank you?" Liberty shrugged her shoulders. "I mean we had only been officially dating for a day, and I had just given birth to JT's baby; what was I supposed to say?"

"So you don't love him?" Emma called from the kitchen as she got herself a soda.

"I've been through a lot with JT, and I think I need a little more time before I start throwing the L word around to other guys."

"Speaking of James Tiberius, we're waiting for his score," Emma pointed out.

"JT was my first kiss. So I can't help but have fond memories."

"We already know about the first time. We've heard that story like a bazillion times. What about the last time you kissed him?"

"You mean the last time he kissed me? It was right before I told him I was pregnant. The week before school started. We were walking home from getting smoothies, and he was upset because I told him I didn't feel like going to the movies that night. He said I had been pushing him away for weeks and that if I didn't want to be with him anymore I should just say so. I felt so sick all the time and I knew why, but I wasn't ready to tell him. So I said since he kept talking about breaking up, maybe we should just get it over with, and I walked the rest of the way by myself. About ten minutes later, there was a knock at my door and when I opened it he just pulled me outside and kissed me. He had never kissed me like that before; it was sweet, and sad and desperate all at the same time. He kept running his fingers back and forth on the small of my back, and we stayed that way until the sun started going down. Then he just stopped and asked, "Do you still love me?" I was so breathless that all I could do was nod. Then he smiled, said he would call me tomorrow, and walked away."

"There is no grade for something like that. That's like getting struck by lightening," Emma sighed dreamily. "And you know what they say about that."

"Yeah," Liberty answered. "It never strikes in the same place twice."

"Liberty, do you realize you're glowing right now?"

"Just memories Manny, nothing more," Liberty said as her mind processed the possibility that she would never experience a moment that sweet and pure again. Fortunately she didn't have to ponder those thoughts for long as the baby monitor on the table began to light up with the sound of baby Sophie's cries echoing from upstairs.

"Duty calls, ladies," Liberty said as she stood and said good bye to her guests and went to the kitchen to warm a bottle for daughter.

**************************************************************************************************************************

Liberty looked around nervously on her first day back at Degrassi. She didn't want to seem paranoid, but she was sure that people were staring at her; a phenomenon that she had hoped would end once she'd given birth.

"Manny, do I look ok?" she asked nervously. "I mean…you know like my old self."

"So you're picking up on the vibe too?" Manny smiled

"I don't get it, am I doomed to wear the scarlet letter on my chest forever?"

"I couldn't put my finger on it at first. New outfit? But that's not it. Your hair looks kind of cute like that, but there is something…you seem to have acquired a few shall we say 'womanly assets' that you didn't have before." Manny gave a playful glance at Liberty's back side.

"These jeans are the same size I wore before I got pregnant," Liberty defended herself

"Maybe, but they don't fit the same. Not to mention your cup runith over in the boobage department."

"Well don't get used to it, because I am going to lose it as fast as I can. I don't want or need this kind of attention."

"If I were you, I would enjoy the new bod. Everyone else seems to be." Manny motioned over to where JT and Toby were standing.

"Is that Liberty?" Toby asked as his mouth hung open.

"Yes, and quit looking at her like that." JT elbowed Toby even though he too stood transfixed.

"No offense, and feel free to punch me in the mouth for this, but she looks kind of hot.

"Don't remind me, Toby. I've been at her house almost everyday since she had the baby. At first she didn't really look any different, but one morning we had to take Sophie for a check up and she came downstairs…I mean I expected her to still have some weight on after the baby, but I didn't expect it to land in such interesting places."

"Yeah, Liberty's got it all now, brains, beauty, smokin' body...and a boyfriend."

Toby patted JT on the shoulder and walked away just as Luke walked up to Liberty.

"Is that my girl?" Luke engulfed Liberty in a big bear hug that lifted her off the ground. "My god, I've missed you so much. Wow, you look…wow." Luke stepped back as his eyes took in all of Liberty's new physique. "Why didn't you let me pick you up this morning?"

"I wanted to walk; I still need to lose a few pounds."

"Not from where I'm standing," Luke said looking Liberty up and down.

Liberty turned her back to her locker and crossed her arms over her chest as his stares made her uncomfortable.

"I have a great idea." Luke leaned in close to Liberty. "What are you doing after school?"

"Oh I don't know, chubby little person, dark hair, green eyes, cries a lot. Ring any bells?"

"Well can't your mom watch her?"

"Who do you think is with her now?"

"What about JT's grandmother?" Luke refused to give up.

"Who do you think is going to have her all day tomorrow? My mother and JT's grandmother are sharing babysitting remember? I couldn't ask her to watch Sophie tonight and all day tomorrow too."

Luke looked disappointed.

"I knew this would happen; I knew you wouldn't understand." Liberty shook her head in frustration.

"No, I understand. It's just that I have missed you so much, and you show up your first day back looking awesome. Can you blame me for wanting to spend some time with my girl? Especially since I know you've been spending so much time with JT."

"Don't do that Luke. JT is Sophie's father. He has a right to see her whenever he wants. Would you prefer that he was a dead beat who walked out on her?"

"Of course not. Look, why don't I come over to your house after school? We can order a pizza, watch a video, I'll get a chance to see Sophie again, and I swear I'm germ free." Luke lifted his hand in a scouts honor.

"It's my first day back, and I am up to my eyeballs in school work, not to mention the student council budget that Toby put together. I have to have his facts and figures checked by the end of the week. I don't have time for a movie."

"Okay, forget the movie; just call me your assistant facts checker. I'll help you, and I won't take no for an answer."

"Okay, I guess I could use the help," Liberty smiled slightly

"Great." Luke kissed Liberty and pulled her in to go deeper, but she pulled back.

"Not real big on PDA at school."

"Oh, um, okay." Luke looked confused and embarrassed. "I guess I'll see you in class then.

After Luke walked away, JT wasted no time making his way to Liberty.

"Welcome back."

"Thanks. I wish I could say it's nice to be back, but the truth is, I'm missing Sophie already and the day hasn't even started yet."

"I thought you would, so I got you this." JT reached in his bag and pulled out magnetic frame with a picture of Liberty and Sophie that he had taken during one of his visits.

"Aw, this is my favorite picture of her. Thanks JT." Liberty opened her locker and stuck the photo to the door.

"I have the same one in my locker." JT smiled. "It's my favorite picture of both of you."

After a moment of uncomfortable silence JT spoke up. "Luke seemed happy to see you."

"Were you spying on us?"

"Not spying, just observing," JT said as he reached up and took a cracker from the box in Liberty's locker. "Oh man, hate to tell you, but these are really stale; you might wanna dump him…I mean them." JT smiled at his Freudian slip as he walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"I wasn't aware you were bringing company home," Liberty's mother remarked when she heard Liberty and Luke walk through the door.

"It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Van Zandt." Luke tried to stay on her good side.

"Hello, Luke," Liberty's mother responded with very little enthusiasm.

"Luke offered to help me catch up on some of the student council stuff I missed."

"Well I would get started quickly if I were you, because it is almost time for a certain someone to wake up from her nap, and grandma is officially off duty," Mrs. Van Zandt said as she left.

Liberty and Luke had just enough time to put their books on the table and order the pizza before Sophie signaled her need for attention.

"I could get her while you warm up a bottle," Luke offered

"I guess that's okay," Liberty reluctantly accepted, "It's the second room on the right, but make sure you support her head well, and be careful coming down the stairs."

"Liberty, I have held a baby before."

As Liberty placed the bottle in steamy hot water to warm, there was a knock at the door.

_Man, those pizza people are fast_, Liberty thought, but when she opened the door she found that the person on the other side was not making a delivery.

"JT…why aren't you at work?"

"I got halfway there before I remembered that I switched days with Garry, so I am here to see Sophie." JT came in and began to make himself at home, but before he could get comfortable, Luke appeared holding his daughter.

JT looked from Liberty to Luke and back to Liberty. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Liberty answered.

"I was just coming down to ask if you wanted me to change her. She seems like she might need a diaper."

"Um…no, Luke, I think I can do that, but thank you." Liberty avoided making eye contact with JT as she took Sophie from Luke's arms.

"Okay, well if there is anything else you need just let me know. You know I'd do anything for my two favorite girls." Luke smiled and touched the tip of Sophie's nose.

"Liberty, can I talk to you in private for a moment?" JT tried to remain calm.

"Not right now, JT. I was about to feed Sophie…the bottle!" Liberty suddenly remembered as she and JT hurried to the kitchen.

"This is way too hot," JT said after testing the liquid against his arm.

"I guess I just forgot about it."

"Well maybe you should try to have fewer distractions around when you are supposed to be taking care of our daughter," he said as he ran the bottle under cold water.

"I wasn't distracted until you got here," Liberty shot back.

"You could have fooled me. Too much trouble for you to go upstairs and get your own daughter?"

"Luke offered to get her while I was warming up a bottle," Liberty said through clenched teeth.

"And doing a lousy job of it," JT took Sophie from Liberty. "There, now you and boy wonder won't be interrupted. And just so we are on the same page, him being your boyfriend is one thing, but I don't want him playing daddy with my daughter." JT cut his eyes at Luke as he walked up stairs. Leaving Liberty without an opportunity to object.

"Doesn't he ever go home?" Luke said when JT had gone upstairs.

"We've already had this discussion, so can you just drop it."

"I'm sorry, Liberty, but I think it's a little more than quality time with his daughter that he's after."

"I'm not doing this." Liberty opened her books and prepared to work. "Why do we always have to fight about JT?"

"Because he always seems to be around, even when he's not around."

"That's not true. You're being paranoid."

"And you're being naive."

"Look, he and I have been trying to get along for Sophie's sake, but you seem intent on making sure we don't get along."

"Me? What do you mean? All I'm trying to do is help."

"Yeah and all that stuff that you said was real helpful. 'I'd do anything for my favorite girls?'" Liberty mimicked him. "You just said that to get under his skin and piss him off. Well congratulations. He is really upset now."

"Well, why don't you run upstairs and comfort him, because God knows we can't have JT's feelings hurt. What about my feelings, Liberty? Have you ever thought about how hard it's been for me knowing that you two have been here…together everyday…for weeks, but I have only seen you once in the past month."

"What do you want me to do, Luke, tell him that he can only see his daughter when you think it's convenient? I can't make everyone happy, and right now, Sophie's happiness is more important than yours. She needs her father."

"She does…or you do?"

"You are being crazy, and jealous, and ridiculous, and this conversation is over!"

"I swear I don't know how I got stuck in the middle of this mess," Luke mumbled under his breath.

"Stuck? Who says you're stuck?"

"Liberty, I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes you did! You persuaded me remember? I told you my life was complicated, but you wouldn't take no for an answer! No one is holding you captive, Luke. You can leave anytime you want!"

"Well, that sounds like you want me to go; so maybe I should get out of the way so you and JT can play happy family!" Luke grabbed his books and almost knocked over the pizza man on his way out the door. "Enjoy!" he shouted over his shoulder after he threw some money at the angry delivery man.

Liberty took the pizza and slammed the door before throwing the box on the table.

"There is a baby up here in case you two have forgotten." JT said angrily while his eyes scanned the room in search of Luke.

"He left." Liberty forcefully rearranged her papers on the table.

"Aw, that's too bad. Did you quarrel?" JT laughed as he came down stairs and took a slice of pizza."

"Yes, we quarreled, and you're a huge part of the reason."

"Ok, this should be good." JT sat down and propped his feet up on the chair.

"You knew he would be here today, that's why you showed up."

"No, I showed up to spend time with my daughter. But if I had known that you where going to have him playing Mr. Mom I would have been here a lot sooner."

"He carried her down the steps. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

"Because I told him not to interfere."

"Interfere with what?"

"With you and me and Sophie. You want him in your life, fine; but I don't want him anywhere near my daughter."

"She's my daughter too. I would never let anyone hurt her. Did you think Luke was going to hurt her?"

"I don't know, and neither do you. I mean the guy just shows up and thinks that he owns the universe. Today he's carrying her down the stairs, tomorrow he'll be reading her bed time stories and taking her to her first day of kindergarten."

"Stop exaggerating, JT, you know I would never let Luke try to take your place in Sophie's life."

"You let him take my place in your life."

"A place, that if I remember correctly, you gladly vacated." Liberty crossed her arms defiantly.

"Well it's nice to know that some things will never change. Liberty Van Zandt, the queen of all grudges holders."

"I am not holding a grudge. I just won't allow you to stand here and rewrite history."

"And I guess that's all we are to you now, history? Well that's fine with me, but you should know, as long as my daughter is living in this house, your past is going to have major problems with your present." JT threw his half eaten pizza in the box and went back upstairs.

And Liberty was left all alone to worry about her future.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This is for those of you who have begged me to post the rest of this story. It's really old and has been off my radar fo-eva, but you gotta give the people what they want, so here it is. **

**For my Twilight folks, don't be upset that this story is getting updated before my Twilight stuff. This story has been finished for YEARS. I just need to get it off my plate so I can mark it complete. I am still writing RFTT and MWaeoS and you will get LOTS of updates before too long. I can't thank you enough for being so patient. **

**Now all you Degrassi people, there are 8 chapters left for this story and you're gonna get them all this week! **

**Thanks to my beta MJ, cuz I suck and she doesn't!**

Chapter Ten

Liberty had gone over it a thousand times in her mind, and she kept coming to the same conclusion. She needed to break up with Luke. She was sure that she cared about him, but she was just as sure that her feeling could go no deeper than that. For all of Luke's good qualities, trying to help him fit into her new life was proving to be more trouble than it was worth. She knew it wasn't fair to continue this way, and the longer she put it off, the harder it was going to be. But confrontation was not something that Liberty enjoyed, so when she saw him standing at her locker that morning her resolve began to crumble. _You can do this Liberty. Just tell him the truth_.

"Hey," Luke greeted her quietly

"Hey, thanks for meeting me this early. I wanted to talk before the halls got too crowded." Liberty fidgeted nervously with her book bag.

"I'm glad you called. After being ignored for three days, I didn't think you were ever going to speak to me again. Before you say anything, though, I want to apologize. What I said the other day was stupid. I was mad and I want you to know that I have never felt that I was stuck with you. In fact, I feel really lucky that you let me be a part of you and Sophie's life."

"You don't have to apologize, Luke. I know you didn't mean it, and I really want you to continue to be in my life; but as a friend…not a boyfriend."

"Liberty, wait, I know the fight the other day was pretty brutal. I lost my temper; I shouldn't have yelled and I shouldn't have stormed out, but this whole thing hasn't been easy for me. If I seem to be a bit…over enthusiastic sometimes, it's only because I love you. But I swear, in the future I will respect the fact that you and JT have to co-parent Sophie, and I promise not to interfere again…but I still want to be with you, Liberty."

"Luke, it won't work." Liberty shook her head. "I had no business getting involved with you in the first place. We were such good friends. I should have never let it go any further than that. It's just that the way you treated me was beyond a dream. There isn't a girl at Degrassi who wouldn't throw herself in front a bus for the chance to be swept off her feet by you. You are a great guy, and you deserve a great girl who's crazy in love with you, but…"

"You can't be that girl." Luke quietly finished her sentence. "This isn't just about what I said the other day is it?"

"No, it's also about the fact that I'm a mom, and Sophie is my priority. Trying to juggle her and school, and a boyfriend…it's just too much."

"I know Sophie is your priority, but that's not what I mean."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about JT. I'm no fool, okay? I see the way you look at him when you think no one's looking. Like he has all the secrets of the universe locked up inside his head and you're just waiting for him to be gracious enough to share them with you. I told myself that if I waited long enough, one day, you would look at me like that. I pretended it was Sophie that kept you connected to him, but I don't think that's true anymore. You're still in love with him, aren't you?"

"This isn't about JT."

"You didn't answer my question." Luke tried to make eye contact with her. "Liberty…"

The lump in her throat prevented Liberty from answering so she just lowered her eyes and nodded her head.

"I don't get it, Liberty. Why?"

"That's just it. I've been asking myself that question for days and there is no _why_. I tried, okay? I tried to pretend that I didn't still have these feelings. I tried to remind myself of all the rotten things he did to me, but none of it mattered. At the end of the day, JT is a part of my existence, and all of my thoughts come back to him. It's my heart, Luke. I just can't make it beat for you the way it beats for him."

"I won't even try to pretend that doesn't hurt like hell." Luke looked away. "But I guess in a way, I deserve it."

"You really don't, and I'm not trying to be brutal. It's just that I feel like I need to be completely honest, but I don't blame you a bit if you hated me right now."

Luke could feel the guilt rising up in his throat. Here she was worrying about him hating her, when she was the one who had the right to feel hatred, and lots of it. Luke knew that this quite possibly could have been his last opportunity to come clean about his deceit, but he had seen how unforgiving Liberty could be when she felt betrayed. He knew that coming clean would mean the end for any possible friendship in the future. The coward in him decided not to risk it.

"Don't ever worry about me hating you, okay? I could never hate you. Your friendship is way too important to me."

"I'm so relieved to hear you say that." Liberty smiled at him, but her eyes were soon focused on the male figure that had just rounded the corner on the way to his locker. Luke turned to follow Liberty's gaze and it led him just were he'd expected.

"So, when are you going to put him out of his misery?"

"I don't know how JT feels about me right now. We had an argument, and I think there may be too much bad blood between us."

Luke looked at Liberty for a long moment before he spoke. "Who knew so much heartache could come from picking the smart girl for a lab partner. You know someone told me I would be sorry if I did that." Luke laughed to hide is pain.

"I bet you wish you had listened."

"No, because then I never would have gotten to know you, and I'm glad that I got to know you. You're more awesome than you know, Liberty, but I still don't think JT deserves your heart."

"Maybe not…but he's got it anyway." Liberty continued to stare at JT.

"Well that makes him an extremely lucky guy." Luke picked up his backpack and prepared to leave. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Bye, Luke." Liberty gave him a hug before letting him walk away.

As soon as Luke was out of sight Liberty noticed JT look over at her, and she quickly avoided his gaze by turning to her locker and randomly turning numbers on her combination as she waited for the right moment to approach him. He, too, seemed to be stalling for time as he rearranged the same four books over and over. _Seize the day, _Liberty told herself as she approached JT.

"Keep it up and people are going to think you have OCD," Liberty joked awkwardly.

"What?"

"Obsessive compulsive disorder." Liberty tried to explain. "It's a disease where people do the same thing over and over."

"I know what it is, Liberty. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not stupid. I just didn't hear you."

"I don't think you're stupid, JT, and I don't want to fight with you. I just wanted to come over here because…well…"

"Liberty, we just saw Luke!" Emma and Manny threw cold water on the moment Liberty was trying to create with JT.

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That you broke up with him. He tried to sound like it was no big deal, but you could tell he was really upset. What happened?"

"We just decided that we wanted different things, that's all."

"That's all?" Emma sounded disappointed

"Sorry, ladies, no big scandal. No big blow out. Just two people who realized they were better off as friends."

As Liberty tried to fill her friends' need for information with as little detail as possible, she was totally oblivious to the fact that JT had not taken his eyes off of her since the words "you broke up with him," came out of Manny's mouth.

"Well, we are taking you out tonight. A girls' night out to heal your broken heart, or celebrate your freedom, which ever seems most appropriate. How does a little mani/pedi action and a movie sound?"

"It sounds very sweet, but I assure you there is no need. I'm fine, and besides my mother and father are going to a gallery opening tonight, and JT's grandmother has bridge, which means I don't have a babysitter."

"Sure you do." Manny put her arm around JT. "Sophie's proud papa would never pass up a chance to spend quality time with his little girl. Isn't that right, JT?"

"What?" JT snapped back into reality, unaware of the conversation that had been taking place around him.

"You'll stay with Sophie when we take Liberty out tonight, right?" Manny repeated.

"Sure. What time do you want me to come over, Liberty?" JT smiled at her warmly.

"You don't have to do this, JT. You've worked the past three days in a row. I'm sure your too tired for daddy duty."

"Too tired for Sophie? Never. Now, what time should I be there?"

"Okay, if you're sure. But you don't have to come over to my house; I can bring her to your house." Liberty returned his warm smile.

"No, I don't want you to pack up all her stuff just to come around the corner to my place."

"I only have to throw a few things in her diaper bag. It's no big deal."

"But if I come over, you don't have to do anything except go and have a good time."

"But I don't want to put you through any trouble."

"It's no trouble."

"Are you sure, JT? I know you would be more comfortable at your house."

"Yeah, but Sophie is more comfortable at your house."

"Oh no, she's used to being at your house with your grandmother. She'll be fine."

"Enough!" Emma put a stop to the over-the-top kindness fest that Liberty and JT had been engaged in. "Liberty, JT will be at your house at 6 o'clock, with bells on. Okay, JT?"

"I'll be there." JT's gaze was so penetrating that Liberty was sure he could read her thoughts. "I guess I'd better get to class."

"Yeah me too."

Emma and Manny watched as their friends walked away from each other, but not before stealing a few last minute glances over their shoulders.

"Ok, what was that?" Manny asked.

"Manny, my dear, I think we have just witnessed lightening striking in the same place twice.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"You're early. I see Lib's still got you trained?" Danny joked when he opened the door. "How did you get suckered into babysitting on a Friday night anyway?"

"Um…she's my daughter," JT responded sarcastically. "And I like spending time with her."

"Eating, sleeping, crying, pooping, and peeing…yeah sounds like screamin' fun to me."

"Well I'm sure it doesn't compare to all the hot Degrassi girls you have lined up for tonight," JT said with an obvious smirk on his face.

"I'm giving them a break tonight. Too much Danny and they get spoiled. You gotta keep 'em waiting sometimes."

"Yeah I bet. So what are you playing?" JT pointed to the television screen.

"Super Turbo Stock Car Race IV; it just came out. You played it?"

"Nope, between work and Sophie and school, I barely have time to sleep, so forget about video games."

"Here let me show you." Danny handed JT a controller and within minutes the two of them were back to the days when they used to hang out after school eating nearly all the food in the Van Zandt pantry and goofing off. "Who's the man?" Danny jumped up and yelled when he had beaten JT for the second time. "Let's go again, your butt is toast!"

"Daniel!" Liberty's voice echoed from upstairs. "I am trying to get Sophie settled before JT gets here could you please keep it down."

"Liberty?" JT called as he walked to the bottom of the steps.

"Oh, JT, I didn't know you were here." Liberty's voice softened immediately.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about the noise we were just playing around. Is something wrong with Sophie?"

"She's just a bit fussy. I was hoping she would be sleeping when you got here."

"Oh, don't worry about that." JT took the steps two at a time. "I can get…whoa." When he reached the top of steps and turned the corner there stood Liberty fresh from the shower wrapped only in a towel, holding a very unhappy Sophie. Her hair was wet, her skin was moist and she smelled delicious. JT fought hard to subdue the lustful thoughts that quickly invaded his mind as he turned his back to her. "You're um…I didn't know you were…sorry."

"I was about to say give me a minute." Liberty struggled to hold tightly to her towel and her daughter. "I had her in the bathroom while I showered because the sound of the water usually puts her to sleep, but this time, no such luck."

"Do you want to…I mean I can take her…if it's okay…but um, I will have to turn around."

"A little help would be appreciated."

JT turned around and awkwardly tried to take Sophie from Liberty's arms without touching any of her bare flesh. "Do you think she wants a bottle?" he asked while trying desperately to keep his eyes from roaming up and down her body.

"I did feed her, but she may be hungry again," Liberty said quickly looking towards the steps hoping JT would take the hint.

"Ok, I'll do that then," he said without moving.

"Sounds good… that means you'll need to go downstairs…because that's were the bottles are."

"Right, downstairs in the naked…I mean kitchen…I'll just go now." Liberty watched a clearly flustered JT retreat downstairs.

"You could have told me she was in the shower." JT took his embarrassed out on Danny.

"Hey, it's not like you were gonna see anything you haven't seen before, and on that scary note I'm out. If the old people call I'm at Derek's."

Danny opened the door to leave just as Manny and Emma were about to knock. "Ladies, you know it's really not safe for you to be out at night on your own. Perhaps I should come along and guard your bodies."

"Stop embarrassing yourself, Danny," Emma said as she closed the door in his face.

"Perfect timing. I need to warm up a bottle so she's all yours." JT handed the baby off to Manny and walk to the kitchen with Emma hot on his heels.

"So, JT," Emma began.

"So, Emma," JT responded.

"The whole Liberty/Luke break up pretty crazy, hmm?"

"No, not really."

"Okay, I was trying to be diplomatic and ease into this, but I've known you too long for that. Are you still in love with Liberty?" she asked flatly.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because you guys are two of my oldest and dearest friends and you belong together…and I want to win the pool"

"You're betting on whether we get back together?"

"Oh god no, everyone knows you're gonna get back together, we're betting on how long it will take. I just want to know what stage of denial you're in so that I can bet accordingly."

"I'm not in denial."

"Okay then, next question. Why don't you just tell her that you want her back?"

"I want her back in my life if that's where she wants to be; not because she's on the rebound from him."

"If anyone was the rebound here it was Luke."

"I don't think so. Liberty had some real feelings for that guy. I think I need to give her a chance to get over everything, you know, take it kind of slow."

"You have a child together, I think we are way past the take it slow stage."

"Speaking of children," Manny interrupted. "This one seems to hate me."

"Emma, listen," JT said as he took Sophie and began feeding her. "When Liberty is ready I'm sure she will let me know."

"No way. Not this time. Liberty chased you for years. She's done enough. It's your turn to make the first move. Why don't you just wear your heart on your sleeve for once?"

"So what are you suggesting, that I should shout my undying love from the roof top? You know that's not my style."

"Well maybe your style needs to be revamped a bit. Tap into whatever it was that made you lay that oh so passionate kiss on her last summer."

"She told you about that?"

"She sure did, and that was about as un-JT-like as it gets, but you did it."

JT thought back to that day that seemed a lifetime ago. That kiss was the last happy image that he had of his relationship with Liberty. He didn't know it at the time, but the next few weeks would be the beginning of a nightmare, a blur of one bad event after another. But that kiss, it had been so passionate, yet not sexual. Liberty had held on to him so tightly that day, as if she was drowning and he was the only person who could save her. And right then, it was almost as if a cartoon light bulb went on over JT's head, finally it all made sense. She wanted me to save her. JT thought to himself. She knew she was pregnant and she was drowning under the weight of it all and she wanted me to save her, but I bolted, and left the door wide open for Luke.

"Hello," Emma snapped her fingers to get JT's attention. "So what are you going to do?"

"This little pool of yours, I would pick a date soon if I were you. Before this night is over Liberty is going to know exactly how I feel, but if she turns me down I'm going to blame it all on you."

* * *

"Leave it to you to forget to check the movie times Manny," Emma complained as they pulled into Liberty's driveway.

"It's not my fault your pedicure took extra long. I thought we would be done by 7:00 besides we could always drive to another theater, it's barely 8 o'clock. Come on, Liberty, don't go in, the night's young."

"I'm sorry, you guys, but I'm feeling really guilty. Sophie is still so little; I hate to leave her for too long. Besides JT has to work tomorrow, and I don't want to make him stay up with her all night."

"The way you two were looking at each other today, I think he should be worried about you keeping him up all night," Manny joked.

"Ok, try to pry your mind out of the gutter." Emma rolled her eyes. "But since she brought it up. Will we be seeing a Jiberty reunion any time soon?"

"Okay, Jiberty sounds like some contagious skin disease. But as for JT and I getting back together, I guess you'll just have to wait and see won't you." Liberty left her friends with mischievous grins on their faces as she took out her house keys and walked to her door.

Aim…click, Liberty took out her cell phone, and began snapping pictures as soon as she walked through the door. Aim and click, she took a few steps towards the couch, aim and click. Neither JT nor Sophie stirred as Liberty moved to another angle and took her last picture.

"JT" Liberty whispered as she gently shook his leg. Her heart melted at the way his hand was securely on Sophie's back. _He even protects her in his sleep_, Liberty thought to herself. "JT" shook him again. This time he opened one eye and placed his other hand on Sophie's head, remembering that she was sleeping on his chest.

"Hey, what time is it?"

"A little after 8, and it looks like you lost this round." Liberty pointed to the sleeping baby.

"Yeah, she's a tough opponent; it's amazing that you do this every night…wait a minute why are you back so soon?"

"I just missed her; I felt like I hadn't seen her all day. Besides you have to work tomorrow. You should go home and get some sleep."

"Did you eat?" JT ignored her suggestion.

"I haven't had a thing since lunch and I'm starved."

"Well if you free me, I will go out and get us some dinner, what are you in the mood for?"

"Surprise me." Liberty gently lifted Sophie from JT's chest and carried her upstairs. After changing her diaper, and putting her to bed, Liberty changed her clothes and sat in front of the TV waiting for JT to return. Forty-five minutes later she began to worry, but just as she picked up the phone to call his cell there was a knock at the door.

"What took you so long?" Liberty asked as he walked past her to the kitchen. "Luisa's," Liberty read the name on the large bag JT placed on the table. "Please don't tell me there is Shrimp Penne Pesto in this bag." Liberty got excited.

"Your favorite and Caesar salad with extra parmesan," JT said as he placed the containers of food on the table.

"When I said surprise me I was thinking burgers or pizza. You didn't have to do all this." Liberty began setting the table for two.

"I kind of did. If you remember the last time I brought you food it didn't turn out so well. I needed to make up for that."

"We can call it even if there is Tiramisu in there."

"Would I go to Luisa's and not get Tiramisu?" JT handed her the cool desert, and began dishing the food on to the plates.

"Do you remember the first time we went there?" Liberty inquired as she took her seat across from JT.

"How could I forget, it was the night of another very important first." Liberty looked away as images of that day began to fill her mind.

"So how was your night out?" He changed the subject sensing her discomfort. "Did it take your mind off your big break up?"

"No, because the breakup was no big deal. Luke and I just didn't click in the dating world, we are much better off as friends. So no harm, no foul."

"Wow! Liberty Van Zandt's heart is turning a bit icy isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean one day you're in love with the guy and the next day you break it off cool as a cucumber."

"Who said anything about love? I wasn't in love with Luke."

"It's ok Liberty, you don't have deny it."

"I'm not."

JT looked at her face and read that she was telling the truth. "Something is not right here." JT put his drink down. "Luke told me that you had declared your undying love for him, on more than one occasion."

"You must have misunderstood him." Liberty dismissed it and continued to eat her dinner.

"No, I know exactly what he said, and he made it clear that you told him that you loved him…more than once. He also made it clear that you felt our relationship had been the biggest mistake of your life."

"What, I never said that!" Liberty threw her fork onto her plate. "I never even came close to saying anything like that."

"Let me get this straight, you never told him you loved him?"

"Never."

"And you never said that our relationship was silly puppy love?"

"JT, I could never…"

"So all this time…?"

"Wait a minute, when exactly did he tell you this?"

"In the hospital, the day Sophie was born."

"So why are you just mentioning it to me now?"

JT paused for a moment before answering. "Because I didn't want to hear you say that it was true."

There was a long silence that floated heavily in the air between JT and Liberty while they both pushed their food around on their plates and tried to formulate what to say next.

"There are some things I need to say to you," Liberty began

"No," JT interrupted. "If it's about Luke I don't want to hear it, and if it's about us I don't want to hear it, at least not yet, not until I say what I need to say. We both know how much of a screw up I've been. I actually used to pride myself on not taking anything seriously. But my life is about more than just goofing off now. It's about taking care of the people who are important to me, and being there for them when they need me. I will never be the guy who gets straight A's or the guy who always knows exactly the right thing to say at exactly the right time. But I am the guy who's ready to work his butt off to make sure that you know that you can trust me again, and I'm not going to stop until you do. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I hope you can eventually forgive me for ever letting you down because not having you in my life…it's just not an option for me anymore."

Liberty pushed her chair back and went to the sink so that JT couldn't see the tears that were forming in her eyes. Everything he had just said was wonderful except for three little words. Liberty was sure he felt them, but she still longed to hear him speak them.

JT knew that Liberty was trying to hide her emotions but he was not going to let her get away that easily. He walked up behind her and hesitated for just a moment. "Will you please look at me?" He asked as he placed his hands on her waist and turned her around. "I love you, Liberty." JT pulled her into his arms as she wept. "I never stopped…I never stopped."

"I love you too," she softly whispered.

"I would have gone to Luisa's a long time ago if I had known that was all it would take to get you back." JT joked after several long moments of embracing.

"Yeah, smooth move, you buy me my favorite dinner, and then you get me too emotional to finish it." Liberty smiled and wiped her tears as JT rocked her in his arms.

"Well we could always skip to dessert." JT playfully kissed her. "Their Tiramisu is the best."

"I know." Liberty kissed him back. "I love it."

"So do you want me to get it?" JT kissed her a bit longer

"No, I'll get it." Liberty kissed his neck and immediately knew what the consequences of her actions would be.

Needless to say no one made a move to retrieve the dessert as their kisses escalated from playful to passionate. Liberty allowed his hands to explore the womanly curves that his eyes had been feasting on for weeks. Liberty knew the question that she needed to ask but she was enjoying the response of her body too much to interrupt. JT pressed her up against the sink as he began to undo the buttons of her shirt. If it had not been for the sound of laughter and keys in the door, Liberty and JT both knew they would have reached the point of no return.

By the time her parents got their key into the door and turned the lock the pair were once again sitting at the table, eating a very innocent dinner. Nothing seemed out of order except for the misplacement of Liberty's buttons, and JT's hair being more disheveled than usual. It didn't take long for the Van Zandt's to feel the tension in the air and immediately read right through the forced smiles that were plastered across the young lover's faces.

"Hello, JT, how did your evening go with Sophie?" Mrs. Van Zandt spoke to JT but her eyes were on Liberty.

"It was good; I mean great, no problems." Every word that came out of his mouth said guilty.

"We were just having…eating…dinner." Liberty tried miserably to cover.

"I see, well it's been a long evening and we are going to turn in." Mrs. Van Zandt took her husband by the hand and led him upstairs before he had a chance to verbalize the fierce expression that he had on his face.

"Did you see the looks on their faces?" Mr. Van Zandt started in as soon as they reached their bedroom and closed the door. "And her shirt…it was practically on backward. I won't allow it, not in my house, not again. And to think I was just beginning to like that boy."

"Calm down, Harold. We have got to be reasonable about this. Have you ever thought that maybe Liberty would have been more careful the first time if we had engaged in more open conversations about sex? Saying 'don't do it' just isn't enough."

"Maybe not, but you would think a screaming two month old would be enough to keep her from doing it again."

"Lets be real here. Those two have been making out with their eyes for weeks. Did you really think they weren't going to want to have sex again?"

"I can make sure they don't, just give me five minutes with JT."

"Stop it. Now I am going to have a talk with Liberty, and it might not be such a bad idea for you to have a talk with JT. You know he doesn't really have a man in his life that he can talk to."

"What do you want me to say? Please don't impregnate my daughter again?"

"You know he's not a bad kid, Harold. You said yourself you've been impressed with his work. He does an amazing job with Sophie, and most importantly he loves our daughter."

Liberty's father sighed and rolled his eyes, but inside he knew that she was right.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"Leave it to you to forget to check the movie times, Manny," Emma complained as they pulled into Liberty's driveway.

"It's not my fault your pedicure took extra long. I thought we would be done by seven. Besides, we could always drive to another theater. It's barely eight o'clock. Come on, Liberty, don't go in. The night's young."

"I'm sorry, you guys, but I'm feeling really guilty. Sophie is still so little; I hate to leave her for too long. Besides JT has to work tomorrow, and I don't want to make him stay up with her all night."

"The way you two were looking at each other today, I think he should be worried about _you_ keeping him up all night," Manny joked.

"Okay, try to pry your mind out of the gutter." Emma rolled her eyes. "But since she brought it up, will we be seeing a Jiberty reunion any time soon?"

"Okay, _Jiberty_ sounds like some contagious skin disease. But as for JT and I getting back together, I guess you'll just have to wait and see won't you?"

Liberty left her friends with mischievous grins on their faces as she took out her house keys and walked to her door.

Aim…click, Liberty took out her cell phone, and began snapping pictures as soon as she walked through the door. Aim and click. She took a few steps towards the couch. Aim and click. Neither JT nor Sophie stirred as Liberty moved to another angle and took her last picture.

"JT," Liberty whispered as she gently shook his leg. Her heart melted at the way his hand was securely on Sophie's back. _He even protects her in his sleep_, Liberty thought to herself.

"JT." shook him again. This time he opened one eye and placed his other hand on Sophie's head, remembering that she was sleeping on his chest.

"Hey, what time is it?"

"A little after eight, and it looks like you lost this round." Liberty pointed to the sleeping baby.

"Yeah, she's a tough opponent. It's amazing that you do this every night…wait a minute. Why are you back so soon?"

"I just missed her. I felt like I hadn't seen her all day. Besides you have to work tomorrow. You should go home and get some sleep."

"Did you eat?" JT ignored her suggestion.

"I haven't had a thing since lunch, and I'm starved."

"Well, if you free me, I will go out and get us some dinner. What are you in the mood for?"

"Surprise me." Liberty gently lifted Sophie from JT's chest and carried her upstairs. After changing her diaper, and putting her to bed, Liberty changed her clothes and sat in front of the TV waiting for JT to return. Forty-five minutes later she began to worry, but just as she picked up the phone to call his cell, there was a knock at the door.

"What took you so long?" Liberty asked as he walked past her to the kitchen. "Luisa's," Liberty read the name on the large bag JT placed on the table. "Please don't tell me there is Shrimp Penne Pesto in this bag." Liberty smiled with excitment.

"Your favorite and Caesar salad with extra parmesan," JT said as he placed the containers of food on the table.

"When I said surprise me I was thinking burgers or pizza. You didn't have to do all this." Liberty began setting the table for two.

"I kinda did. If you remember the last time I brought you food it didn't turn out so well. I needed to make up for that."

"We can call it even if there is Tiramisu in there."

"Would I go to Luisa's and not get Tiramisu?" JT handed her the cool desert, and began dishing the food on to the plates.

"Do you remember the first time we went there?" Liberty inquired as she took her seat across from JT.

"How could I forget? It was the night of another very important first." Liberty looked away as images of that day began to fill her mind.

"So how was your night out?" He changed the subject sensing her discomfort. "Did it take your mind off your big break up?"

"No, because the breakup was no big deal. Luke and I just didn't click in the dating world. We are much better off as friends, so no harm, no foul."

"Wow, Liberty Van Zandt's heart is turning a bit icy, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean one day you're in love with the guy and the next day you break it off, cool as a cucumber."

"Who said anything about love? I wasn't in love with Luke."

"It's okay, Liberty, you don't have deny it."

"I'm not."

JT looked at her face and read that she was telling the truth. "Something is not right here. " JT put his drink down. "Luke told me that you had declared your undying love for him, on more than one occasion."

"You must have misunderstood him." Liberty dismissed it and continued to eat her dinner.

"No, I know exactly what he said, and he made it clear that you told him that you loved him…more than once. He also made it clear that you felt our relationship had been the biggest mistake of your life."

"What? I never said that!" Liberty threw her fork onto her plate. "I never even came close to saying anything like that."

"Let me get this straight. You never told him you loved him?"

"Never"

"And you never said that our relationship was silly puppy love?"

"JT, I could never…"

"So all this time…?"

"Wait a minute, when exactly did he tell you this?"

"In the hospital. The day Sophie was born."

"So why are you just mentioning it to me now?"

JT paused for a moment before answering. "Because I didn't want to hear you say that it was true."

There was a long silence that floated heavily in the air between JT and Liberty while they both pushed their food around on their plates and tried to formulate what to say next.

"There are some things I need to say to you," Liberty began

"No," JT interrupted. "If it's about Luke I don't want to hear it, and if it's about us I don't want to hear it. At least not yet. Not until I say what I need to say. We both know how much of a screw up I've been. I actually used to pride myself on not taking anything seriously. But my life is about more than just goofing off now. It's about taking care of the people who are important to me and being there for them when they need me. I will never be the guy who gets straight A's, or the guy who always knows exactly the right thing to say at exactly the right time, but I am the guy who's ready to work his butt off to make sure that you know that you can trust me again, and I'm not going to stop until you do. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I hope you can eventually forgive me for ever letting you down because not having you in my life…it's just not an option for me anymore."

Liberty pushed her chair back and went to the sink so that JT couldn't see the tears that were forming in her eyes. Everything he had just said was wonderful except for three little words. Liberty was sure he felt them, but she still longed to hear him speak them.

JT knew that Liberty was trying to hide her emotions, but he was not going to let her get away that easily. He walked up behind her and hesitated for just a moment. "Will you please look at me?" he asked as he placed his hands on her waist and turned her around. "I love you, Liberty." JT pulled her into his arms as she wept. "I never stopped…I never stopped."

"I love you too," she softly whispered.

"I would have gone to Luisa's a long time ago if I had known that was all it would take to get you back," JT joked after several long moments of embracing.

"Yeah, smooth move. You buy me my favorite dinner, and then you get me too emotional to finish it." Liberty smiled and wiped her tears as JT rocked her in his arms.

"Well, we could always skip to dessert." JT playfully kissed her. "Their Tiramisu is the best."

"I know." Liberty kissed him back. "I love it."

"So do you want me to get it?" JT kissed her a bit longer.

"No, I'll get it." Liberty kissed his neck and immediately knew what the consequences of her actions would be.

Needless to say no one made a move to retrieve the dessert as their kisses escalated from playful to passionate. Liberty allowed his hands to explore the womanly curves that his eyes had been feasting on for weeks. Liberty knew the question that she needed to ask, but she was enjoying the response of her body too much to interrupt. JT pressed her up against the sink as he began to undo the buttons of her shirt. If it had not been for the sound of laughter and keys in the door, Liberty and JT both knew they would have reached the point of no return.

By the time her parents got their key into the door and turned the lock the pair were once again sitting at the table, eating a very innocent dinner. Nothing seemed out of order except for the misplacement of Liberty's buttons, and JT's hair being more disheveled than usual. It didn't take long for the Van Zandt's to feel the tension in the air and immediately read right through the forced smiles that were plastered across the young lovers' faces.

"Hello, JT, how did your evening go with Sophie?" Mrs. Van Zandt spoke to JT but her eyes were on Liberty.

"It was good. I mean great. No problems." Every word that came out of his mouth said guilty.

"We were just having…eating…dinner." Liberty tried miserably to cover.

"I see. Well, it's been a long evening and we are going to turn in." Mrs. Van Zandt took her husband by the hand and led him upstairs before he had a chance to verbalize the fierce expression that he had on his face.

"Did you see the looks on their faces?" Mr. Van Zandt started in as soon as they reached their bedroom and closed the door. "And her shirt…it was practically on backwards. I won't allow it. Not in my house. Not again. And to think I was just beginning to like that boy."

"Calm down, Harold. We have got to be reasonable about this. Have you ever thought that maybe Liberty would have been more careful the first time if we had engaged in more open conversations about sex? Saying 'don't do it' just isn't enough."

"Maybe not, but you would think a screaming two month old would be enough to keep her from doing it again."

"Let's be real here. Those two have been making out with their eyes for weeks. Did you really think they weren't going to want to have sex again?

"I can make sure they don't. Just give me five minutes with JT."

"Stop it. Now I am going to have a talk with Liberty, and it might not be such a bad idea for you to have a talk with JT. You know he doesn't really have a man in his life that he can talk to."

"What do you want me to say? Please don't impregnate my daughter again?"

"You know he's not a bad kid, Harold. You said yourself you've been impressed with his work. He does an amazing job with Sophie, and most importantly he loves our daughter."

Liberty's father sighed, and rolled his eyes but inside he knew that she was right.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Monday morning came and found Liberty in the best of spirits. The events of the past few days had infused her with new life and new purpose. She couldn't remember ever feeling this peaceful.

Peaceful…it seemed a strange word to use, but it was the one that fit best. For as long as Liberty could remember, she had been anxious. Always thinking about tomorrow, never really enjoying today. But now with Sophie and JT in her life, Liberty was determined to live a more balanced existence. She was ready to savor every moment of her life, no matter how insignificant, even small moments like this one. She looked over at JT as he drove. Taking in every detail of his face as if it were her first time seeing him. The shape of his nose, the curve of his chin, the way his hair curled up at the back of his neck. The way his hands gripped the steering wheel and the silly expression he had on his face.

"Penny for your thoughts." Liberty said as she reached over and stroked the back of JT's head.

A small smile crept across his lips. "Just thinking about this weekend with your parents." JT shook his head, unable to control his laughter. "I think it's safe to say that it was the most uncomfortable afternoon of my life."

"I thought you were going to choke to death when my father said they wanted to have a discussion about sex and responsibility."

"I couldn't help it. The idea of your parents wanting to discuss our sex life was too awkward for words. When your mother said _'self control is the best birth control,' _I felt like I was caught in a bad after school special."

"And all I could think was _yeah that little pearl of wisdom is coming about a year too late_, but we both know that self control is not your strongest asset," Liberty teased.

"Hey, that was the old JT. The new more mature JT has plenty of self control." JT's chest was puffed up with confidence as he pulled into the Degrassi parking lot and set his breaks.

"I'm glad to hear you say that." Liberty unbuckled her seat belt and turned to face him. "Because it will be at least a month before we…how did my mother put it…_express our love in a physical way_." Liberty watched as JT's expression turned from confidence to a state of confusion.

"Is this about Friday night? Was I moving too fast for you?"

"No," Liberty placed her hand on JT's. "Friday was nice. After I got pregnant I didn't want to think about sex again, but being alone with you, and kissing you, it made me realize that I miss being with you in that way. It also made me realize that I don't want to be caught unprepared again. So this weekend I decided to start taking the pill."

"What pill?" was JT's clueless response.

"Birth control. My doctor gave them to me after I had Sophie, but I didn't have a reason to start them…until now."

"Liberty, I hope you're not doing this because you don't trust me to take care of protecting us. The king size condom thing…that would never happen again."

"I know, but birth control is not just your responsibility. Like my parents said, if we are going to engage in adult behaviors then we need to plan responsibly, like adults. Besides, being on the pill means condoms won't be an issue, king size or otherwise."

"Are you sure?" JT tried not to sound too excited even though he was.

"Yes, as long as I take them everyday at the same time, the pill is more effective than condoms; and since we've only been with each other…we have only been with each other right?" Liberty paused and raised an eyebrow at JT.

And JT responded by looking at her as if she had suddenly begun speaking Latin. "Are you asking me if I have had sex with someone else?"

"I mean we were apart for a long while, and you were free to do whatever you wanted. I didn't want to take anything for granted."

"Well take this for granted; you are the only girl I have ever been with and the only girl I want to be with. My fantasies are all about you…and an occasional Victoria Secret model, but that's beside the point. All you need to know is that you can trust me in everyway."

"I do trust you, JT." Liberty leaned in and kissed him. "Completely."

"Good, now…" Liberty waited for him to continue, but it was clear that something else had captured his attention. It took a few seconds before her eyes followed JT's to the tall male figure walking towards the school, and the sound of the car door unlocking alerted Liberty to JT's intensions.

"JT, don't." Liberty grabbed his arm before he could make it out of the car.

"You've got to be kidding me. I am not going to let him get away with what he did."

"JT, please, if you start a fight with him you'll get in trouble, and there's no telling what my father will say if you get kicked out of school. Everything is going so well for us. Don't ruin it."

"Liberty…." JT tried to object.

"Please. He will get what's coming to him, I promise. Now let's just go in. I told Toby you would help with the newspapers this morning."

"Hot off the presses. Get the latest copy of the grapevine with a special feature…Grapevine Gossip. Find out the latest dirt on Degrassi's hottest guys and girls." Toby's sales pitch was working like a charm, and the students of Degrassi were snatching up copies faster than he could take their money.

"Were you able to squeeze in my little extra?" Liberty greeted Toby and approached the table where he had set up shop.

"Yes, ma'am." Toby exaggerated a salute. "But I would appreciate it if in the future you would try not to send me last minute additions over the weekend. I do have a life too, you know?"

"Since when?" JT joked.

"Says the guy who just got his life back two days ago. A move which, may I add, resulted in me losing ten bucks to Manny and Emma."

"That'll teach you to bet on other peoples' love lives." JT wrapped his arms around Liberty and pulled her in close.

"Are you here to snuggle or to help sell papers?" Toby faked disgust.

"Okay, okay, I'll help." JT reluctantly relinquished his hold on Liberty and walked behind the table. "For once these papers seem to be selling themselves."

"They are, thanks to Liberty's little extra," Toby answered

"What is this little extra you two keep talking about?"

"Read it for yourself, boyfriend of mine." Liberty took a copy of the paper and turned it to the gossip section. "I decided to use my position as Editor in Chief to my advantage for once."

JT quickly scanned the page before looking up at Liberty. "Have I told you how much I love the way your mind works? This is brilliant."

"Yeah, but has your brilliant girlfriend thought of the possible consequences? Harmless blurbs about who's volleying for position as the next spirit squad captain is one thing, this…" Toby took the paper from JT, "is borderline malicious."

"It was either this or letting the air out of his tires and spray painting obscenities all over his car. That option seemed a bit too Jerry Springer for me, and since the pen is mightier than the sword, I couldn't think of a better way to make him pay. Now, if you two will excuse me, I'm off to prepare my mind for a morning of academic excellence."

Liberty left JT with a kiss and made her way to her locker to get her chemistry book.

"Liberty! I want to talk to you." Liberty didn't even bother to look up, as the sound of Luke's angry voice approached.

"Too bad, anything I needed to say to you can be found on page six." Liberty closed her locker and walked in Mr. Ellis' class with Luke close behind.

"_Liars and the Lies They Tell_? Liberty, are you trying to completely destroy my reputation? Why would you do something so vicious?"

"Because you tried to ruin my life…I'm just returning the favor."

"Can you just let me explain? I only lied because I was desperate. As soon as JT said you were going to keep the baby, I could feel you slipping away. I was sure you were going to just let him slide his way back into your life. I cared about you too much to let that happen."

"You really are pathetic, you know that?" Liberty didn't bother to lower her voice as the other students began to fill the class. "You lied then and you're lying now! You never really cared about me. JT was willing to let me go if it meant that I would be happy with you. That makes him more of a man than you will ever be! You said JT didn't deserve my heart. Well you didn't deserve my friendship or my time. Don't look at me, don't think about me, don't speak my name or so help me God I promise you, I will do everything I can to make the rest of this year a living hell for you. And when I'm done, this little newspaper article will be the least of your worries!" Liberty turned to walk away but not before Luke grabbed a hold of her arm.

"Liberty, please…"

"Let me go!" Liberty turned and pulled away with a bit too much force causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor.

"Mr. Carter." The loud voice of Mr. Ellis brought order to the room as he entered just in time to see Luke standing over Liberty. "Exactly what is going on here?"

"Nothing sir, she just lost her balance."

"Is that true?" Mr. Ellis addressed Liberty as she gathered herself and stood to her feet. "He grabbed my arm, I told him to let me go, but he wouldn't."

"It didn't happen like that. Liberty, tell him the truth."

"The truth," Liberty snickered, "oh _now_ the truth is important to you? I have a room full of people who saw you grab me. That's all the truth I need."

Luke desperately searched the faces of his classmates and realized that there wasn't one person who was going to be on his side.

"Okay, Mr. Carter, why don't you gather your things and pay Ms. Hatzilakos a little visit. Let her remind you of our zero tolerance policy for student aggression."

Luke's week long detention sentence put a nice period at the end of an ugly chapter in Liberty's life. She reminded herself not to dwell on the time that she wasted with Luke. Instead she thought about the long afternoon ahead of her. The beaming sun and the absence of a cutting wind chill filled Liberty's head with visions of strolling to the pond with JT and Sophie on a mission to visit the family of ducks that returned there each spring. But when they arrived at JT's house they found only a note stating that Sophie had been taken on an outing to the farmers market with her grandmother.

"My grandmother can stay at that market for hours." JT returned the note to the kitchen table and went to the fridge to grab a soda. "So, we could still go for a walk or to a movie, or whatever." JT drank while Liberty propped her head on her hand.

"I really wanted to show Sophie the ducks, but since she's not here…" Liberty's yawn cut her statement short.

"Are you tired, or am I just boring?"

"You know a nap wouldn't be completely out of the question right now. Sophie woke up three times last night…" Liberty was over taken by another yawn. "Maybe I should go home and catch a quick thirty minutes and then we could go see a movie.

"I have a better idea." JT downed the rest of his soda and tossed the can into the trash. "Come on." He took her by the hand and led her to the back of the house.

"Oh no you don't." Liberty pulled away and objected. "I said a month, JT."

"There are other things to do in a bedroom, Liberty, like sleep." JT opened the door to his room, which lay in a state of disarray very similar to the way it had looked the last time Liberty had been there. His clothes, shoes, and books were still in piles all over the floor, but his bed was neatly made with fresh sheets. JT took off his shoes and lay down. "Come here." He patted the space next to him, inviting Liberty to occupy it.

"I don't know," Liberty only slightly resisted as she was removing her shoes and climbed up to the head of the bed. "Best behavior, mister," she warned as she laid her head on his chest and felt him place a small kiss on her forehead.

"Now, sleep." JT took off her glasses and placed them on his bedside table. "I'll wake you in an hour."

"Aren't you going to nap too?" Liberty mouthed through yet another yawn.

"Naw, I'm not tired. I'm just going to lay here." As JT watched Liberty's eyelids grow heavy he whispered. "I've wanted to hold you like this for months, and you know something…it's even better than I remember." Liberty's eyes blinked twice and closed as she slept with a small smile resting on her lips.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

JT couldn't say that he actually liked his job at the Law office of Hollingsworth, Van Zandt, and Moring. He enjoyed being able to provide for Sophie, and not having to ask his grandmother for money certainly lifted a burden from her, but the knowledge that Liberty's father still provided the bulk of the financial support for his child had begun to make JT feel extremely uncomfortable. So much so, that he did his best to avoid having any contact with Harold Van Zandt. At work, he stayed away from the 6th floor, where Mr. Van Zandt's office was located, and whenever he had a day off he found a way to convince Liberty that she and the baby should spend their free time at his house. JT knew that his behavior was beginning to cause Liberty some concern, but he didn't want her to think he was ungrateful for all that her family had done, so he kept his discontentment to himself. But the more time that passed, the more overwhelming his feels became. And if those overwhelming feelings had not consumed his focus that morning, he may have been aware of the presence of the very person he had been trying to avoid.

"I thought that was you." Mr. Van Zandt spotted JT on his way out of the 3rd floor conference room. JT had request to have this floor on his route because it was occupied mainly by paralegals, which meant that there was little worry of running into Liberty's father, or so he thought.

"Mr. Van Zandt…what brings you to this part of the building?" JT plastered on a fake smile.

"I have an appointment this morning and my conference room is being painted, so I am forced to use this one."

"Well good luck with that. If you will excuse me." JT knew better than to think that he would be able to get away that easily, but he gave it a try anyway.

"Just a minute. Why don't you come in and have a seat?" JT looked inside the empty conference room as if he were being asked to enter the death chamber.

"Um…I still have a lot of mail to pick up, and I like to stay on schedule." JT tried to escape again, but the look on Mr. Van Zandt face said resistance was futile.

"I think it will be okay if you're a few minutes late." Mr. Van Zandt motioned to the chair on the opposite side of the table. "I must say, it's quite impressive to see you here bright and early on a Saturday and working so hard."

"Thank you." JT eased carefully into the conversation like a soldier entering a minefield.

"You know, seeing you here makes me realize that we haven't seen you around the house much lately. What have you been up to?" Harold Van Zandt leaned back in his chair and twirled a pen between his thumb and index fingers. To JT he looked like a king perched on his throne getting ready to pass judgment.

"Well there's work, and Sophie. And with the school year getting ready to end…I've just been busy."

"I'm glad you mentioned school because that's just what I wanted to talk about. Liberty has been talking nonstop about her plans for next year. You know she only needs a few credits to graduate, so she's planning to get a jumpstart on university by taking some of her credits in the fall. With all the time she missed having the baby I never expected her to be able to finish so strongly, but her mother and I are extremely proud…."

"Yeah, I know all about her plans, and I'm really proud of her too." JT interrupted not because he wasn't happy for Liberty. He was very happy for her. He couldn't have asked for a better mother for his child, and the fact that she still managed to excel at her academic endeavors astonished him. Yet every time he thought of how proud he was of her, he was also reminded of how disappointed he was with himself. Goofing off for the majority of his high school career had lift JT with a poor academic record and very little motivation for learning.

"That's good to hear. I would hate to think that you weren't supportive of Liberty's plans, but it's your plans that I'm concerned with at the moment. You have been doing a good job here, but this is just part time, and as much as I enjoy supporting my granddaughter, it is not my intention to do so forever."

_And here it comes_…JT thought to him self, the speech about how I have wasted three years of my education and if I had only applied myself more I wouldn't be depending on him to provide a roof over my daughter's head. "I do support Sophie, Mr. Van Zandt."

"Of course you do, son, and the diapers and formula that you buy do not go unnoticed." Mr. Van Zandt's voice had taken on a slightly condescending tone. "But your daughter lives in my house, and my wife provides her daycare, her health care costs are paid for under my insurance plan…"

JT could feel himself growing smaller in his chair as Liberty's father rattled off the list of things he provided for Sophie. Each item was like a slap in his face and a dagger to his manhood. JT had fought so hard to get Liberty to change her mind about the adoption, and for what…to have his daughter grow up in a house where she would be constantly reminded of the insignificance of his financial contribution? Sure her face lit up whenever he came into a room, and she turned her head in every direction searching for him when she heard the sound of his voice, but JT knew that what he provided was not enough to meet all of her needs and as time went on the price tags for those needs would get bigger and bigger.

"I've been looking into getting a second job," JT blurted out, before his mind had a chance to think of exactly how he was going to make that happen.

"Well, that's a commendable idea, but I don't think a second job is the answer. Preparing yourself for university, that's what you should focus on. You're going to need a career son, not just a job."

"I know that I can't work in the mailroom forever, and that I am going to have to find a better way to support Sophie, but I'm not Liberty, my marks aren't any good, and I don't really think I'm cut out for university."

"Nonsense, now I know that your marks haven't always been the best, but that doesn't mean that you can't still get into a good school. Sometimes it's all about who you know." Mr. Van Zandt reached into his brief case and pulled out a brochure for the University of Toronto. "I happen to have a bit of influence with some of the higher ups at U of T, so if you can commit to pulling up your GPA next year, I am sure they will be able to find a spot for you." Liberty's father pushed the brochure across the desk.

JT silently picked it up and thumbed through the pages hoping to find something to get excited about. "This is very…kind of you, but…"

"No buts," Mr. Van Zandt forcefully tapped his index finger on the table. "Opportunities like this don't come along everyday, and I am going to have to pull quite a few strings to make this happen. Now it's pretty obvious to me that you don't have a clue what you want to do with your life. Being clueless may have been fine for you before, but it won't work for my granddaughter. So if you have something better lined up, I'd love to hear about it." Liberty's father folded his arms and leaned back in his chair confident that his challenge would go unanswered.

_I should have told him exactly what he could do with his university connections_. JT silently cursed himself as he left the conference room. There was no limit to the things JT wished he had been able to say, but the problem was that he had no other options that could measure up to what Liberty's father was offering him. _I am going to support my daughter and I won't need his wallet or his connections to do it._ It was a bold and admirable thought, but he had no idea how to execute it.

JT's mind was going in hundred different directions at once as he steered his mail cart around the corner and ran full force into an immovable object, a tall slender man with a slightly receding hairline. Normally JT would have voiced a quick apology and been on his way, but when the identity of the man who stood before him registered in his brain he was rendered speechless.

"Whoa…slow down there, guy, you could do some real damage with that thing."

"You're…you're Brian Forsythe!" JT announced as if the man was unaware of his own identity.

"I'm sorry, have we met before?" The man looked puzzled as he extended his hand.

"No, sir, we haven't, but this is truly an honor." JT vigorously shook the out stretched hand. "You're one of the most creative minds in television today. You've won so many Gemini's that I've lost count, not to mention those two Emmys last year and countless other honors. You have produced and directed some of the best shows on television."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you …."

"JT…JT Yorke."

"JT? I assume that's short for something very embarrassing."

"James Tiberius…my mother had this thing with Star Trek." JT smiled slightly.

"I'm a bit of a Trekkie myself, so I think that's pretty cool. I take it you work in the mailroom." Mr. Forsythe pointed to the cart that stood between them.

"Yeah," JT said with all the enthusiasm of a man getting his wisdom teeth pulled.

"And I take it you hate it," Mr. Forsythe chuckled.

"I can't afford to hate it; it keeps my daughter in diapers."

"Wow…you have a kid? You're pretty young for that, but still, it's nice to see you working to support her…and planning for the future." Mr. Forsythe pointed to the U of T brochure that JT still held in his hand."

"These are plans, but they're not exactly mine. My girlfriend's father…"

"Say no more, you have the look of overwhelming pressure written all over your face. So if university isn't your thing, what is?"

"Something really irresponsible…" JT went on to relay his tales of how he had dreamt of a career in the entertainment industry for years. Jumping on any opportunity he found to get in front of a camera. "I know it's not practical for someone who has a child to support, but something happens to me when I get around a camera."

"It's like a rush." Mr. Forsythe gave voice to what JT was feeling.

"Exactly, and I don't think I could get that feeling from any other profession, but I guess I'm gonna have to try."

"Maybe not…I mean being in the business is very risky if your intent on becoming a star in front of the camera. But what about trying your hand at working behind it? There are so many ways to channel your creative energy…producing, directing, writing, editing, the list goes on and on. Have you ever thought of being a part of the creative process from the other end of the lens?"

"I did direct my school production of Dracula last year, and I've shot a bunch of home videos of my daughter, Sophie, but that's just messin' around. I don't think that counts."

"My first project was called Dorms. It cost about two hundred dollars to produce, and it was shot with my father's broken down camcorder. Two years after I shot it, it killed at the Toronto independent film showcase. And two years after that…"

"It was the basis of your first TV sitcom. I remember that show."

"So you have just learned your first lesson: there is no such thing as messin' around when an artist has a camera in his hands. You never know what piece of footage will be the catalyst to propel you to the next level. Now, do you still have the baby videos you shot?"

"Sure, they're at home."

"What about the Dracula production. Got any footage of that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure there's some in the archives at school."

"Well I'd love to see it. Once you've gathered it all up, why don't you give me a call and we'll set up a meeting." JT accepted the business hard that was handed to him.

"Mr. Forsythe, I'm sure that stuff isn't any good. I would be ashamed to show it to you."

"Lesson number two, no risk, no reward. I'm not expecting Spielberg. I just want to get a look at where your passion is. If it's there, I'll be able to see it no matter how horrible the footage is…oh and Mr. Forsythe is my father. Call me Brian.

Liberty was trying her best to be attentive to Mrs. Clooney's presentation on how to make the perfect banana bread, but the ticking of the clock was a continual distraction. It was five minutes before JT was due to arrive home, and Liberty's heart was racing. He had been in such a dark place lately and Liberty had no trouble figuring out why. Whenever the subject of senior year and university plans came up, JT shut down. Liberty saw his behavior as the beginnings of some sort of depression related to his fear of what life after Degrassi would hold for him. She knew that the chances of JT getting into a school on his own merit were slim. That's why she chose to take it upon herself to involve her father. It was a move that Liberty was sure JT's pride would have never allowed him to make, so she made it for him. Now it was all she could do to keep still while she waited for him to arrive with news of her father's offer.

"And cooling on a wire rack is one of the most important steps that many people over look. You see if you use an ordinary serving dish to cool…" Mrs. Clooney's riveting explanation was interrupted by the sound of JT's keys in the door.

"Oh, God, Grandma, not more banana bread." With those words Liberty's agonizing wait was over. JT entered the house and throw his things on the sofa before greeting her and Sophie with a kiss.

"I thought you loved my banana bread." Mrs. Clooney faked hurt feelings.

"I do, but not every weekend." JT made his way into the kitchen for a drink.

"Well not to worry. This one is for Mrs. Slagel." Mrs. Clooney gave JT a gentle pinch on the cheek before wrapping her banana bread in a cloth napkin and putting it in a basket. If you kids need anything I'll be next door.

Liberty waited for JT's grandmother to leave so she could probe him for information. Unfortunately she had a hard time figuring out how to do that with out giving away that she had been the force behind her father's offer. Then the familiar U of T logo caught her eye.

"What's this?" Liberty walked over to the sofa and held up the university brochure.

"Oh, guess who offered to call in a few favors to get me into university?"

"I can't imagine." Liberty played dumb.

"Your daddy dearest." JT laughed as he put his glass in the sink and walked over to take the brochure from Liberty's hand. "I mean can you believe that, talk about manipulation."

This was nothing like the reaction that Liberty was expecting. Where was the smile and feeling of relief that she had waited all day to see? Instead he sounded annoyed and completely ungrateful. "What's so manipulative about trying to help someone get an education?"

"Nothing when you're dealing with most people, but since it's your father there's a good chance he will hold this little favor over my head for the rest of my life."

"That's not true, JT. I'm sure my father thought this would be good for you."

"Who are you kidding, Liberty? Your father doesn't know the first thing about what's good for me. If he did he would have never suggested this." JT tossed the brochure back on the sofa. "I mean, come on, can you really see me on a university campus? Late night studies, endless hours of meaningless memorization…"

"I guess not." Liberty cut him off mid sentence. "I guess _my father_ was a fool to think that you would jump at a chance to build a better future for yourself and your daughter." Liberty's emotions began to wreak havoc on her internal organs as she grabbed Sophie's diaper bag and began throwing things in.

"Hey," JT grabbed her arm. "What's up with you? Why are you taking this so personally?"

"Because…did you ever stop to think that maybe my father cares about you? Maybe he got tired of watching you walk away, or make a joke every time anyone said anything about university. You're treating my father like the enemy when all he was trying to do was help."

JT released his hold on Liberty and took a long look at the hurt, disappointment, and guilt that was written all over her face. "You did this, didn't you?"

There was no need to speak, the answer was clear.

"I did it for you." Liberty followed on JT heels as he stormed away to his room. "You've been in a funk for weeks and I knew it was because everyone around you has been making plans to apply to university next year. I thought that if you could just be a part of that, being able to get into a school, it would motivate you to want to work harder.

"What is it with you and your father? You know, people are actually capable of running their own lives without the two of you interfering?"

"Don't you mean ruining their lives? Let's face it. You have never had a clue what you wanted out of life. Being clueless was okay when it was just you, but I'm not willing to let you gamble with Sophie's future."

"That's what your father said this morning, almost verbatim. I guess its official; you are your father's daughter."

"What do you want me to say, JT, that I'm happy that you want to wander aimlessly through life with no direction?"

"No, actually I thought that I would hear you say that you understood the pressure I was under, but that you had faith in me, and that you believed in me…crazy, huh?"

"What exactly am I supposed to believe in? You have yet to tell me what your plans are."

"Maybe because instead of asking me, you go off and make plans _for _me." JT and Liberty's voices had reached a level so loud that Sophie's cries couldn't even penetrate them. Only the forceful knock on the bedroom door drew their argument to a close.

"What in heaven's name is going on in here?" Mrs. Clooney stood in the doorway holding a very upset little girl whose face was soaked in tears. "I could hear her crying from next door. I finally came over to see why no one was attending to her…poor thing. Yes, Granny is so sorry your mommy and daddy were too busy arguing to see to you."

The smell of guilt in the room was pungent. JT and Liberty looked at each other both silently asking the other for permission to reach for the baby.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Clooney, we were just…it won't happen again, ever." Liberty took Sophie and began to kiss her tears away. "I think we should go now."

"I'll come by later to check on you guys," JT said softly and Liberty nodded a silent response.

"Would you like to tell me what all that was about?" Mrs. Clooney asked as JT watched Liberty put Sophie in her stroller and head in the direction of home.

"It was about me having a lot to prove to Liberty, and more importantly, to myself."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Liberty could feel the warm rays of the sun on her face as they shone through the sheer curtains of her bedroom window. She stirred slightly with the sound of baby birds chirping in their nest outside. Hearing their hungry cries reminded her that she had missed hearing the hungry cries of her own baby that morning because Sophie had spent her first full night sleeping away at JT's house.

Liberty sat up in bed and ran her fingers through her hair as she thought about the current state of her relationship with her daughter's father. They had managed to mend fences after the whole Toronto University fiasco, but the school year had ended with zero resolution to the problem of what JT was going to do with his future. In fact, at times he seemed more distant and aloof than he had been before. More and more often, JT made plans to spend time with Sophie apart from Liberty, stating that he just wanted to give her a break, but Liberty had a feeling there was more to it than that.

She was sure that JT still harbored ill feelings about her going behind his back to elicit her father's help, but she didn't know what to do to make it better. She had apologized in more ways than one, and he had accepted and told her that all was well. Still, there was a lingering feeling that Liberty couldn't shake. But her moment to dissect JT's actions was short lived when a knock at her bedroom door interrupted her train of thought.

"Somebody's downstairs for you," Liberty's brother called through the closed door.

Liberty threw back the covers and swung her feet over the side of her bed as she grabbed a pair of shorts to put on under the t-shirt she wore. _Bit off more than he could chew,_ Liberty smiled to herself as she was sure that her visitor was a very exhausted JT returning with Sophie.

"Toby," Liberty tried not to let her disappointment show when she greeted her friend.

"Since when does Liberty Van Zandt sleep past 8 am?" Toby inquired as Liberty appeared in her pajamas.

"Sophie spending the night with JT equals a late morning for me."

"Yeah, she's been with him a lot lately. I bet you're pretty happy about that."

"I am, but a part of me feels like he's up to something. I can't put my finger on it but…" Liberty narrowed her eyes at Toby as his eyes darted towards the ceiling, a sign all his friends had come to recognize as avoidance. "What do you know Toby?"

"Nothing, I don't know anything, because there's nothing to know…I mean nothing that _you_ should know. Believe me if I knew something that you should know, I would let you know." His little speech reminded Liberty of why Toby wasn't known for his grace under pressure.

"Toby…I'm going to ask you once more?"

"I wish I could find a way to stay out of the never ending saga that is your relationship with JT. You know it's just not good for my health, all this stress. I have a family history of high blood pressure, you know, and dealing with you two could give me a stroke."

"Tell me Toby." Liberty rolled her eyes and crossed her arms waiting for a response.

"I can't…I promised…you just need to trust him right now, okay?"

"How can I trust him when I don't know what's going on with him?"

"I'm sorry, but isn't that what trust is, believing in something even when you don't see or understand what's going on? Look JT's fine. Better than fine actually, and he will tell you everything when he's ready. Now I do have a reason for being here that doesn't involve JT. The shots from graduation. I thought you would like to have a look." Toby handed Liberty the large white envelope he carried that contained the pictures of all the pomp and circumstance from the graduation ceremony.

"Can you believe that will be us next year?" Liberty smiled at the thought of standing before all of her classmates delivering the valedictorian speech that she had had prepared since she was in grade nine. As Liberty thumbed through the photos, she found an interesting repetition. In every photo that contained the two of them, JT was standing behind Liberty. It wouldn't have seemed too out of the ordinary if it wasn't for the fact that the way the light hit each photo made it look as if he was standing quite literally, in her shadow and Liberty found the image very disturbing. Immediately visions of JT searching for something to define his identity while living in the shadow of Liberty's know-it-all personality came flooding forth.

"This is terrible." Liberty commented out loud.

"What is?" Toby responded in confusion.

Liberty silently shook her head as she walked him to the door, "Nothing…thanks for bringing these, and thanks for being such a good friend to JT and to me too."

"Yeah, that's me, Toby, the good friend. Now if I could just find a girl to make me Toby the boyfriend I'd have it made."

The morning seemed to drag on for Liberty as she tried to find ways to fill the hours waiting for JT to return with Sophie. The long hot bath that she took was a welcome distraction, and taking extra time to blow dry and curl her hair, apply a little make up and freshen up the polish on her nails gave Liberty a pampered feeling that she hadn't enjoyed in quite a while. But by the time she ended the last chapter in her book it was only noon and JT hadn't planned on bringing Sophie home until after 3:00. With nothing to occupy her mind the images from the graduation pictures began to fill her head.

"Enjoying your day off from mommy duty?" Liberty's mother entered the house with an arm full of groceries.

"I'm trying to, but it's easier said than done." Liberty left her place on the sofa and began putting away the groceries. "I think I have a problem. How do you help someone find themselves when everything you try just comes off as interfering?"

"Wow, pretty deep questions for a weekday afternoon. Now exactly who is it that needs finding?"

"JT found out that I asked Daddy to help him get into U of T and it turned into this big thing about me not being supportive and not letting him make his own decisions. I know I was wrong to go behind his back, but I was only trying to help. Now I feel like he's shutting me out, and I don't know what to do."

Mrs. Van Zandt folded her cotton grocery sack and sat down at the kitchen table. She took a few moments to look at her daughter, the young woman who sat before her knew so much about so many things and yet she still had so much to learn about matters of the heart.

"Liberty, honey, you know the journey is just as important as the destination."

Liberty looked at her mother and wondered how her statement had anything to do with what she had just asked.

"You want the end product…the focused, goal oriented JT who knows exactly what he wants for his future, but that's a journey of discovery that he has got to take on his own. You can't deny him that process. It's something everyone has to experience. If he seems upset to you right now, it's because his pride is wounded. JT isn't the same class clown that captured your heart years ago. He's becoming a man, and a big part of being a man is feeling like you have the respect of the woman you love."

"I respect JT," Liberty assured her mother while visions danced through her head that testified to the contrary. All the times she'd dismissed his opinion without consideration. All the times she assumed the worst instead of hoping for the best when his actions seemed a bit suspect. "So how long does it take for wounded pride to heal?" Liberty asked, finally understanding the severity of what her actions had done to JT.

"Not long, if it's surrounded by love, patience, and support."

Liberty looked over her shoulder at the beauty of the warm summer day and wondered what the two loves of her life were doing at that moment...without her.

"I think I saw his car in the driveway on my way in." Liberty's mother smiled as she read her daughters mind.

And Liberty thanked her with a quick kiss before heading out to right some wrongs.

"I thought you said it was okay if I kept her for the whole day." JT opened the door and stood in the gap preventing Liberty from entering.

"I miss her…where is she and why are you blocking the door?"

"She's fine. She's taking a nap. Now you're always saying how you wish you could have a whole day to yourself. Well, I'm giving you that, so why don't you go take advantage of it."

"Because a free day is no fun without someone to spend it with…I know you're still a bit upset about some thing's, but I miss you." JT had always been a sucker for Liberty when she was being this sweet, and fortunately for Liberty, that weakness had not changed. He also knew that it would be impossible to turn her away now, so he removed the barrier that was his body and allowed her to enter.

When Liberty reached the living room she was taken back by the anonymous male figure that sat on the sofa.

"Um, Brian… this is Sophie's mother and my girlfriend, Liberty Van Zandt. Liberty, this is Brian Forsythe. He's an award winning producer and director." Brian extended his hand to a very confused Liberty.

"It's very nice to meet you, Liberty. You must be very proud of this guy. I've been looking at some of his work, and it's really quite good."

"And what work would that be?" Liberty looked to JT for and explanation.

"JT, don't tell me you've been hiding your light under a bushel."

"Not hiding, just waiting for the right time to share." JT directed his response to Liberty alone.

"Well, there's no time like the present. Here, come get a front row seat to the magic." Brian patted the sofa and invited Liberty to join him, and she did so with much trepidation.

As the video played, Liberty was overwhelmed by what she saw. Frame after frame of Sophie with witty commentary from JT playing in the background. It was like a family channel documentary on the amusing antics of a six month old and her wacky father. Then the mood changed and a familiar piano intro faded in. Liberty turned to look at JT, but he was staring intently at the television screen and when she turned back there she was, smiling at JT, playing with Sophie, napping with Sophie all to the back drop of the soulful crooning of her favorite Stevie Wonder song.

_There's something bout your love… that makes me weak and knocks me off my feet._

Liberty wasn't sure if she was emotional because of the visions dancing across the screen or if it was due to the realization that JT had all of this talent in him yet he had purposely chosen to keep it from her.

"Your editing is almost seamless, JT." Brian remarked at the end of the footage. "Not everyday a girl gets a whole video montage dedicated to her, eh." Brian smiled at Liberty and Liberty meekly smiled back. "You know the first stuff you sent me was good, but when you called and said you'd made some revisions I wasn't really sure what to expect. I thought maybe you had gone in and added a bunch of dramatic effects or something, but this is completely new footage. When did you have the time to shoot all this?"

"I wasn't really satisfied with the other stuff. I thought I could do better. So I've been collecting shots of Sophie for the last week or so, and the footage of Liberty was a last minute choice. I heard the song and I guess I just felt inspired."

"And the commentary…that was recorded separately?"

"Yeah, the result of quite a few late nights trying to get it synched up just right."

"You must have some pretty decent home equipment to be able to produce a product this good."

"The equipment actually belongs to my friend Toby. He let me borrow it, and it really helped me get the revisions done a lot faster."

"If you think his stuff is cool you should see the toys I get to play with everyday. And on that note, l think it's time for us to get down to business. I have to admit my motives for wanting to see your work were a bit selfish. That day I met you at the law office you were so enthusiastic about your love for the craft that I had to see if you had any talent to back it up. I got my answer with the first video you sent me and today you surpassed that. Long story short, I am in the market for an assistant, a glorified intern you might say. The pay won't be much more than what you're making right now and the hours will be longer, but the experience you'll get will be invaluable. You will primarily be working with me in directing, but you will get your hands dirty with every aspect of production: writing, editing, wardrobe, props…everything. I usually hire an up and comer from the film school, but natural talent like yours is rare, so the job is yours…if you want it."

_If I want it? Of course I want it!_ Those were the words JT was screaming in he's head, but when he looked over at Liberty he knew this wasn't a decision that he could make with out her input.

"That's an amazing offer, but would it be ok if I talked it over with Liberty and got back to you in a few days?"

"Sure. My assistant isn't leaving until the end of the summer so take all the time you need."

Brian said his goodbyes and several moments of complete silence passed before JT spoke up. "This isn't the way I wanted you to find out about all this."

"Why did I have to _find out_ at all? Why couldn't you just tell me?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Maybe the fact that _entertainment isn't a mature career path _made me feel like you would be less than overjoyed about my renewed interest."

"That's not fair, JT. You know I said that when I was pregnant and afraid of what was going to happen to us."

"Okay, that was a low blow, but you must admit you've never been overjoyed at the idea of me going into show business."

"I admit I always saw you wanting to be on television as your way of running away from responsibility, but this is different. What I saw on that screen today was amazing. You were confident and uninhibited and very talented. If this is what you want for yourself, then it's what I want for you. Take the job, JT."

"Are you sure? I mean it will mean that I won't have as much time to spend with you and Sophie, and it's not exactly putting me on the fast track to university."

"Take it." Liberty got up from her place on the sofa and walked over to JT. "Can you forgive me for not believing in you sooner?" She stood close to him and took both his hands.

JT's response was a long slow kiss that created goose bumps up and down Liberty's extremities.

"I think I should I call Brian right now and tell him I accept."

"No, I think you should check on Sophie and make sure she's still napping in your grandmother's room, and then you should take me to your room for a little thank you for being a supportive girlfriend meeting…and no cameras!


	16. Chapter 16

"I'm tired of blowing." Manny massaged her cheeks with her hands.

"I'm not even going to touch that one." Liberty tried to stifle her laughter as she took a deep breath and exhaled into her twentieth balloon of the afternoon. "You could hang the happy birthday banner while Emma and I finish these." Liberty scanned the room, counting each balloon to be sure she had an equal number of pinks and yellows. "I can't thank you guys enough for helping out like this."

"Did you think we would leave you to plan Sophie's first birthday party all alone?" Emma took a deep breath before filling another.

"I think it's great that everyone who was there for her birth will be here to help celebrate today."

"Almost everyone." Manny added from the top of the stepladder. Liberty shot her a steely glare while Emma pretended to blow into a balloon that was already full.

"What? It's true. He _was_ there. Why are we still not allowed to talk about him?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because he turned out to be a lying jerk who tried to ruin any chance JT and I had of getting back together." Liberty tied the last balloon and headed to the kitchen to put out the rest of the party supplies.

"That was last year, Liberty, and you more than paid him back with that oh-so-embarrassing article in the grapevine. Maybe since you're only at Degrassi for a few hours each day you haven't noticed, but Luke has become a really popular guy, and he's doing a really good job with the student council this year."

"I've worked with him a lot," Emma chimed in. "And he's really nice…almost as perfection driven as you are. Sometimes it's like having a male Liberty around. The more I think about it, the more I realize you two really are a lot alike."

"Thanks for the insult." Liberty rolled her eyes

"It's not an insult," Emma continued. "Everyone knows you and JT are meant to be. You know the whole opposites attract thing. But when it comes to friendship, you have to admit you and Luke started out as pretty good friends."

"And JT and I are proof that men and women can be friends after dating." Manny pointed out.

"Just a reminder…you and JT's bit of history is not a subject I like to be reminded of." Liberty managed to put that unpleasant memory out of her mind long enough to allow her mind to wonder, for just a moment, back to the months when Luke had given her a reason to smile again. She couldn't deny the fact that his attention had helped her to feel good about herself. Liberty knew what it felt like to care for someone so much that it drove you to do things without completely thinking them through. Luke had gone too far with his lies, but was it really so far that she could never find room in her heart to forgive him?

While Liberty was lost in thought, Emma entered the kitchen and placed a small gift bag on the counter in front of her. "Don't shoot the messenger, okay? He asked me to give you this."

Liberty hesitated before taking a peak. Inside the bag, she found a silver and black picture frame containing a picture that Liberty hadn't remembered taking. Sitting on the front steps of Degrassi, hand resting on her very pregnant belly, she was looking into the distance and smiling. The note attached was written in a handwriting she once knew, but no longer recognized.

_I have held on to this picture for a while. I don't know, I guess I wanted to remember how good it can feel to have someone as special as you in my life, and how easily it can all disappear if you try to hold on too tightly. I think I finally learned that lesson, so this is me…letting go._

"What a nice picture," Manny commented from her perch atop the ladder. She expected a long response about how inappropriate it was for Luke to send her a gift after all the trouble he'd caused, but Liberty simply nodded her head and hurried upstairs, picture frame in hand.

She had to dial seven different combinations before she remembered the right set of numbers, and when the female voice answered she wasn't sure she'd gotten it right. "Um…I was trying to reach Luke Carter?" she asked cautiously.

Liberty heard a bit of whispering before the familiar voice came on the line. "Speak," he answered in his still slightly cocky way.

"Luke…hey, um this is Liberty." The silence seemed everlasting.

"Liberty…really?" More silence and background whispering and than the opening and closing of doors. "It's so great to hear your voice…really…great. Did you get my gift?"

"Yeah, I did. That's why I'm calling. I…well I wanted to say thank you. I don't have any other pictures of myself pregnant with Sophie, so this was really thoughtful."

"You're more than welcome. I really didn't know what to get for a one year old, so I thought I would give you something you both would enjoy…I mean all three of you."

"We will defiantly enjoy it, and it's going right into her baby book." More silence

"So tell me, how have you been? I heard you where taking courses at U of T in the afternoons. How's that going?"

Liberty hesitated before answering. She hadn't planned on having a full blown conversation. She just wanted to call and thank him for the gift like she would for anyone else. But this wasn't just anyone else. This was Luke. The guy who lied and manipulated his way into her life. He had used her sadness and loneliness to his advantage, and single handedly almost destroyed her future with JT. _Can I really forgive that_? Liberty thought to herself. She just wasn't sure.

"It's okay…look, I just wanted to say thank you and…well that's all really." Liberty hoped he would get the point with out the need for further discussion.

"Oh…yeah, sure. Well, happy birthday to Sophie, and thank you for calling. It means a lot." More silence. "And Liberty….I feel like I should say this again…I'm really sor…"

Liberty stared at the phone for a moment after hanging up. With her eyes still fixed on it, she removed the photo and tossed the frame into the waste basket.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked when Liberty returned.

"Fine, I just wanted to put the picture away."

"Before JT gets here?" Emma questioned. "You are going to tell him about it right?"

"I say if JT doesn't ask, then she doesn't need to tell." Manny added her two cents.

"Everything looks lovely girls." The sound of Mrs. Van Zandt voice saved Liberty from any further discussion of her moral dilemma. "We're off to pick up the cake and a little something extra for the birthday girl." Liberty's father placed Sophie on the floor in the living room to chase balloons.

"Mom, the party is your gift to Sophie remember? No extras." Liberty had convinced JT to let her parents pay for the party by promising him that that would be the extent of their contribution. No surprise high end mega toy would over shadow his gift.

"Just leave everything to me sweetheart." Liberty's mother had always made sure that birthdays in the Van Zandt household were a major cause to celebrate, and her granddaughter's first birthday would be no different. "Putting Sophie in daycare two days a week is no small expense, especially for someone on part-time intern pay. We know JT is doing his best and your father and I don't mind helping out at all."

"JT's here." Danny bolted through the front door like a streak of lightening and disappeared into the basement. Moments later JT appeared and Liberty's father was the first to make note of the fact that he was empty handed.

"Where's my birthday girl?" At the sound of her father's voice, Sophie began a frantic crawl that ended at his feet with her pulling herself to a standing position and gently whining to be held, and JT quickly obliged.

"Did you get it?" Liberty asked to put her father's suspicions concerning the where abouts of JT's gift to rest.

"I told Danny to keep it in the basement. He's bringing it in the back door." JT purposefully looked over at Mr. Van Zandt. "I want it to be a surprise."

Moments after Liberty's parents left, the guest began to arrive. Family, friends, and a host of children from the neighborhood and Sophie's daycare quickly filled almost every area of the Van Zandt home and made quick work of the trays of finger foods and munchies Mrs. Van Zandt had provided. Soon, it was time for Liberty to open Sophie's gifts and she looked around and realized her parents still had not returned.

One by one Liberty and JT unwrapped books, and stuffed animals, pretty frilly outfits, and learning games. Finally, it was time for JT's gift. The room grew quiet as he disappeared through the basement door and returned moments later with a beautiful antique wooden rocking horse with a mane of pink and yellow yarn and a tail to match. The saddle was crushed velvet with pink and yellow gingham trim. The ooo's and ahhh's from the guests were muted compared to the squeals of delight from Sophie when JT placed her on her horse like a queen on her throne. Liberty snapped picture after picture of the happy pair while all the other children lined up waiting for their turn to ride.

Just when Liberty was beginning to worry about her parents delayed arrival. Her mother entered the kitchen with a huge Care Bear sheet cake and a mischievous smile. "Do you remember your 5th birthday party?" she asked out of the blue.

"Of course I do. I was really upset that Daddy was out of town and couldn't get back in time for my party. But right before it was time for my friends to leave, you told me to look out the window and there was daddy, in the front yard with a pony. My friends and I spent the next hour taking turns riding in circles around the yard, and you and Daddy spent the next two days filling wholes from the hoof prints."

Liberty smiled at the memories of that day, and then it hit her…

"Oh god, please…say you didn't…"

Too late, Mrs. Van Zandt was already capturing the attention of the guests.

"Are you all having a good time?"

"Yeeessss!" The chorus of little voices answered back.

"Well, I think you're going to have even more fun when you see what Sophie's grandpa has outside." Mrs. Van Zandt excused herself as she made her way to Sophie.

"First we need the birthday girl." She removed Sophie from the rocking horse while JT looked on in confusion. "Okay, children, follow the birthday girl."

In a near stampede, fifteen little pairs of feet followed Liberty's mother to the door. "Oh boy, it's a real live horse!" Little Matthew Miller from next door made the announcement.

Liberty looked over at JT and watched as his face fell. Crushed he walked to the door unwilling to believe that the Van Zandts had managed to upstage him. But there it stood a real live chestnut pony, and while all the other children lined up anxious for a ride, the birthday girl wanted no part in this adventure. Kicking and screaming and attempting to crawl out of her grandmother's arms, Sophie was terrified.

"I'll handle it." Liberty jumped in front of JT before he had a chance to confront her parents. "Please just go upstairs to my room. I'll bring Sophie up in a minute."

When Liberty was sure JT was on his way up the stairs, she went to confront her parents.

"She's just a little nervous," her mother interjected before Liberty had a chance to speak. "Once she sees the other children ride, I'm sure she'll calm down."

"Mom, please just give her to me." Liberty's voice was even and strong.

"She hasn't had her ride yet." Liberty's father watched as the handler helped the first child on for his ride.

"How could you? You promised…just the party. No extras. JT is crushed."

"What is he whining about now…leave it to him to try and ruin Sophie's party." Liberty's father rolled his eyes.

"No, you're ruining Sophie's party. JT saved for weeks to buy Sophie an antique rocking horse. That was his gift to her, and it was the highlight of the party…until you showed up with this side show attraction."

"Oh, Liberty, we didn't know…We never would have…" Liberty's mother was over come with shame. "What can we do?"

"Nothing. You two can stay and be the lives of the party. Sophie, JT, and I are leaving."

Liberty made her way up the stairs and opened the door to find JT pacing with his hands shoved in his pockets. "I told you we just should have had a quiet little party at my house because I knew they would pull something like this."

"My mother feels really bad, JT. She didn't know about your gift." Liberty tried weakly to defend her mother.

"Food and decorations, Liberty. We sat at your kitchen table less than a week ago and agreed that they would help with food and decorations, and that's it. And last time I checked a four foot pony is neither."

JT flopped down on Liberty's bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I spent the better part of my morning sitting in Kelly's office while she ripped every idea I presented to shreds. And when I refused to rework them the threatened to go to Brian."

"Why'd you refuse to rework them?"

"Because, Liberty, they're good. She's just got a stick up her butt when it comes to me. I stand behind every idea I submit, and I'm willing to tell Brian that. The point is, the only thing that made it bearable was knowing I would get to see Sophie's face light up when she saw her horse, and even that gets pulled out from under me."

Liberty climbed onto the bed and laid Sophie between them. "If it's any consolation, Sophie hated my parent's gift."

JT looked over at her and allowed himself to laugh. "Of course she did. Who wants to ride on a stinky chestnut pony when they can ride a cool wooden rocking horse?" JT rubbed the side of Sophie's cheek as she stuck her finger in her mouth and let her eye lids slowly close.

Liberty and JT lay together quietly watching Sophie. "I told my mother we were leaving, but I guess that plan is out now that she's sleeping."

"I wish you two _could_ leave with me…for good."

"JT, we've been down this road before. Your grandmother would never let me move in, and we can't afford to get a place of our own. And don't say you'll get another job or work more hours. Sophie and I would never see you, your grades would go in the toilet, and you would be miserable." Liberty reached over and ran her fingers through his hair. "This year will go by quickly and once school is out…well, we can talk more than."

JT reached over and took hold of the ring finger on Liberty's left hand. "One day, Liberty…you know I want."

"I know, JT." Liberty changed the subject before the conversation turned to promises she didn't feel he was ready to make. "Now we still have a party downstairs, and I think we should get down there before Manny and Emma butcher that cake." Liberty picked up Sophie and prepared to take her to her room. As he turned to leave, something caught JT's eye.

"I've never seen this picture of you before…it's nice." Liberty held her breath. 'Who took it?"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Twenty seven, the exact number of times that JT asked Liberty about the true nature of the "gift" presented by Emma on Luke's behalf. He asked aggressively and subtly. He found a way to insert the topic into almost every conversation over the course of the past nine days, and Liberty had had enough. Lying was never something she endorsed or, for that matter, was much good at. So when asked a direct question, she saw no other choice but to give a direct answer. Unfortunately, when it came to the subject of Luke Carter, direct wasn't good enough.

"I still don't understand why he kept the picture all this time, and why send it to you now?" JT suddenly appeared at Liberty's locker moments before she left for her classes at U of T.

"Oh my god…" Liberty jumped a foot in response to his surprise attack. "Okay, JT, we are absolutely not having this conversation again. It was just a picture, so can you please let it go already? As far as you and I are concerned, Luke is a non-issue."

"Correction, he _was_ a non issue until he resurfaced like roaches after Armageddon. First, Emma and Manny become card carrying members of his fan club again. Then Toby starts falling all over himself to help with one student council thing after another, and now you. You all are acting as if last year never even happened."

"No one remembers the tragic events of last year better than me. But maybe hating Luke is getting a bit old. I mean, you of all people should understand the importance of the gift of forgiveness."

"He's your ex, Liberty. You can't expect me to overlook that."

"You mean like I overlooked the fact that Manny is your ex?"

"That's different. Manny has been a friend to both of us for years."

"Actually, that makes it worst. She knew I had feelings for you, but she went after you anyway. At least Luke's feelings for me were never reciprocated…I don't think you can say the same thing about you and Manny."

JT felt cornered and he didn't like the way the conversation had turned to highlighting his less than favorable romantic past. "Well, at least I'm not hanging on to little memento's from Manny."

Gathering her belongings, Liberty closed her locker door, and turned to face JT ready to refute his accusations. But she couldn't. For her the photo represented the rare moments during her pregnancy when she actually enjoyed the new life that grew inside her. But for him, it was something else entirely. She wished he could see it her way, but the look in his eyes, at that moment, said he wouldn't and Liberty quickly found herself in a position she was becoming more and more familiar with: compromising to make JT happy. "I'll give the picture back if it will make you feel better."

"You'd do that?" JT tried to accept his victory humbly.

"Like I said, it's just a photo." Liberty shrugged and forced a smile.

Brian made his way to his office fresh off of a red eye flight. As much as he would have liked to have gone straight home to rejuvenate after his week of high power meetings in the states, duty called and his meeting with Kelly would not wait.

Stepping off the elevator on the seventh floor, he returned the smiles and greetings from his employees, all wanting to know how his trip had gone.

"Well, you know, I threw some things against the wall. Now we wait to see what sticks." It was a suitable answer for the masses, but the answer given to Kelly however revealed much more.

"So, what's the verdict?" Kelly handed Brian a steamy cup of black coffee while she took a seat on his office sofa with a cup of her own.

"It's a big thumbs up for what we have to offer right now. The shows in our catalog are perfect for syndication, but their market is also screaming for something new for their younger demographic."

"I guess that's your not so subtle way of asking how things went with JT while you were away."

"Tell me something good." Brian leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on his desk.

"I turned up the heat just like you asked me to, and I gotta admit I felt a bit sorry for him. I picked apart every aspect of his work, and challenged him every time he tried to defend himself."

"And…" Brian leaned forward willing her to get to the point.

"And he wouldn't back down. JT is a lot tougher than he looks. He stood behind every idea he submitted, and rightfully so. Thanks to him, we've got enough material for at least the first ten episodes. On the down side, his writing skill could use some sharpening, but his character development is spot on and most importantly, the kid's got genius when it comes to the camera."

"I knew it!" Brian slammed his fist down on his desk. "I knew the talent was there. I just had to be sure he could handle the pressure and there was no better test for that than you, my little pit bull."

"I live to serve." Kelly exaggerated a curtsy and poured herself another cup of coffee.

"Good." Brian's voice now took on a much more serious tone. "Because now comes the tricky part."

JT was floating on cloud nine, but word that the boss had returned from his trip put an end to that quickly. Kelly had been racking him over the coals all week, and JT was sure that unsavory comments were, at this very moment, traveling from her lips to Brian's ears. So with his heart trapped somewhere between his throat and his gut, he made his way to Brian's office.

"So, Kelly's been filling me in on conditions while I was away." Brian made himself comfortable on the corner of his desk after JT was settled in his seat.

"I can't say I'm surprised. I just hope you'll let me present my side of the story before you make up your mind about me."

Brian did his best to contain his laughter as he tried to put JT out of his misery. "Actually, JT, I think you would be a bit surprised at what she had to say. I know she's been on your case a lot since you've been here, but there's a good reason."

It was JT's turn to try and contain his laughter. "I'm sorry, Brian, but I can't see any good reason for treating someone like that."

"The entertainment business is not for the faint of heart, JT. You will get ripped to pieces on any given occasion doing what we do. You create what you think is a masterpiece, only to have some know-it-all in a suit come along and say 'change it'. It took me a lot of years to develop a tough enough skin to stand up for my creative vision. And now that I own my own company, I only want people working with me who can handle the pressure."

JT took a deep breath as he steadied himself for the deathblow.

"And according to Kelly, you're just the person we need on our team. Permanently." Brian crossed his arms across his chest as he waited for his words to sink in.

"So you mean Kelly didn't trash me?"

"Quite the opposite. Your work is going to be the catalyst that gets 'Chloe's Way' off the ground. How does Assistant Creative Director sound?"

JT's jaw dropped infinitesimally. He was beyond astonished. He really hadn't even been working for Brian for that long and to be offered this position so quickly was…

"Amazing. It sounds…amazing. Unbelievable, but what about school? There's no way I could do this project full time without screwing up my grades and losing my whole year." He knew at the very least he needed to finish school, even he wasn't planning on attending university.

"We won't start shooting until late spring, after school ends for you."

JT was immediately relieved.

"That's great, but why so late?"

Suddenly, a heavy silence hung in the room, and JT's heart returned to its misplaced position, courtesy of the strained expression on Brian's face. He sensed that there was something else. Something big.

"Well, JT, my meeting in the states was about developing a deal to syndicate some of our shows, and the filming of 'Chloe's Way' is…in New York."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"So why don't you just tell her?" Toby asked as he threw his head back and popped a handful of raisins into his mouth.

"Because you don't just tell Liberty Van Zandt something like this. She's a planner, and I'm pretty sure a move to New York isn't in her plans for life after graduation. "

"A chance to live in one of the most amazing cities in the world could make her change her plans."

"It's not enough, Tobes." JT tossed the magazine he had been pretending to read on the coffee table and placed his feet on top. "I have to come up with something better than '_Hey Liberty why don't you drop everything and follow me to the states?' _She deserves more than a shared living space."

"What could you possibly offer her that would be better than that?" Toby knew the answer to his question almost as soon as the words left his mouth. "You're not thinking about asking her…"

"I don't know what I'm thinking." JT interrupted him before he could finish, destroying any chance he might have to talk him out of it. "Listen, Tobes, I've got to get going. I promised Liberty I would stop by on my way home."

"Just don't go over there and say something…you might not really be ready to say." Toby chose his words carefully, but he feared they fell on deaf ears.

The drive to Liberty's house wasn't nearly long enough for JT to decide exactly what he wanted to say to her. His thoughts were overflowing with the reality that whatever he said or didn't say would change his life and Liberty's forever.

JT found Liberty to be very much on edge when he arrived at her house. Her parents were out having a date night and Danny was with Derek chasing down poor unsuspecting girls and begging for attention. On any other night, this scenario of an empty house would have drawn the couple into the heights of lustful passion within minutes, but tonight JT's mind was too full, and Liberty…well Liberty hadn't sat still for a moment since he walked through the door. She had folded and put away all of Sophie's laundry, packed and repacked her diaper bag twice. She filled and started the dishwasher, only to change her mind and empty it, washing the plates and glasses by hand. JT watched her as she gathered an armful of Sophie's plastic squishy toys and headed for the kitchen.

"What's going on?" he asked stepping in front of her.

"Sophie had a play date today with that germy little Kennedy Morgan from up the street. That girl always seems to be coming down with a cold. I was just going to sanitize these to be on the safe side." Liberty sidestepped JT and made her way to the sink.

"I didn't come over here to watch you do chores all night did I?"

Silence was Liberty's only response. JT wasn't used to pushing her for information. She usually offered it freely and in abundance. But tonight things were different. She was nervous, frazzled, and agitated. All things very contrary to Liberty's character.

"Liberty…what's wrong with you? You've barely spoken to me since I got here, and you're running around like a woman possessed."

"There was a job fair at the university today." Liberty threw the toys into the sink and plopped herself into the kitchen chair. "I didn't plan on going, but my English professor said some companies had requested a meeting with me. It turns out, he included my name and a few others in an article he wrote on promising young academic talent in the GTA. Can you believe that?"

"I'm waiting for the part that's making you so upset."

"JT, it was like a set up. I wasn't prepared. I walked into that room, and it was full of almost every high ranking company in Toronto, and there I stood in jeans and a messy ponytail. And do you know who I ended up meeting with? A recruiter from Lowe Roche."

The puzzled expression on JT face prompted Liberty's brief explanation. "Lowe Roche is the top ad agency in the city. This woman talked for twenty minutes about how good I looked on paper. My early admission to U of T. My stellar academic record. Somehow she even knew that my father was a senior partner at one of the largest law firms in the city. Long story short she offered me an internship for this summer after graduation."

JT was speechless. What were the chances that on the exact same day they both would receive dream job offers? And how would they work this out when the offers where in different cities?" But JT put his worries on hold for the moment because Liberty wasn't finished.

"From there it was off see the assistant to the Vice President of marketing for the Toronto Star."

"_The_ Toronto Star? The newspaper?"

"None other. Apparently, being primed to graduate university at the tender age of 19 seems to make me very hot commodity in today's job market. And wouldn't you know it? They want me to intern this summer after graduation too."

"Forgive my ignorance, but shouldn't this be a good thing? I mean two big shots trying to woo you to their companies sounds like the stuff your dreams are made of."

"That's the problem, JT. I should be thrilled…but I'm not. On my way out of the interview I ran into this woman Susan who works for my father. Well when I told her what had just happened, she pulled out her cell phone and called him. Right there in the middle of the commons he made me whip out my laptop and take dictation while he composed _my_ pros and cons list for which job to take. I couldn't get a word in for almost an hour. Luckily, Susan's battery went dead or I'd probably still be there. It's just too much. The pressure…finishing credits at Degrassi, taking courses at university, taking care of Sophie…"

JT walked over to Liberty and took a seat across from his visibly shaken girlfriend. He'd seen a glimpse of it before, but now the struggle of keeping so many balls in the air seem to be coming to a head, and she looked exhausted. JT took hold of her hands. Someone or something seemed to be handing him a solution to his dilemma, but he had to be sure before he jumped the gun.

"In a perfect world…I mean if you could write the script, what would the next year of your life look like?" The look in JT's eyes was serious and sincere. That coupled with the fact that she couldn't remember the last time anyone had bothered to ask her what she wanted for her self, gave Liberty pause as she pondered the answer.

"I've always felt like I had to be the best at everything I did otherwise what was the point? But now…let me put it this way. When you spend all your time trying to be the best at everything, you never get to enjoy anything. I didn't really enjoy my high school career because I was too busy making sure that everything I did equaled early admission to university. I don't really have many happy memories of my pregnancy, and now I'm missing the best parts of motherhood because every moment I spend with Sophie has to be scheduled down to the last second. I'm already a year and a half ahead of everyone else my age. At the rate I'm going I'll be finished with undergrad, off to graduate school and full steam ahead in my career all before I turn twenty-five. And for what?…I just want to slow down a bit, take university at a normal pace, spend real quality time with Sophie…but of course all this is pointless because my father will kill me if I don't take one of those offers. When we were on the phone, he was actually trying to find a way that I could accept them both. Can you believe that?"

"What would you say if I told said you could have all the things you just said you wanted? Because you can…if you come with me…after graduation…to New York."

It took exactly five seconds for Liberty to get to her feet and return to her position at the sink. In the moments that followed JT did his best to calm her while filling her in on all the details of his new position. Liberty's response was to divide her time and attention between washing Sophie's toys, pacing the floor, and periodic outburst of inappropriate laughter.

"So you just want me to move to New York…just pack up and move?" Liberty placed her hands on her hips and faced JT.

"Yes"

"No"

"Why not?" JT matched her stance with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Because it's…crazy and impulsive and reckless and…"

"And exactly what you need right now. You could transfer your credits to a university down there or take a year off. Whatever you want to do. For the first time in your life you could do what you want to do, the way you want to do it. I'll be making more than enough money to support us…"

"And if I say no?"

It was a question JT hoped she wouldn't ask. "I don't want to do it without you. If you're going to make me choose…I won't lie, Liberty, I want this …but I want you more."

Liberty moved in closer to JT until the breath that passed between them met in an intimate embrace. "I'm not going to make you choose, JT, and it means a lot to know you want me with you…I just don't know if I can leave my family and move hundreds of miles away…not without…"

"I know what you want, Liberty, and I want that too. It's just…well, I was hoping to do this a little differently."

"So you've thought about it?"

"Dozens of times"

"So in a perfect world…I mean if you could write the script, how would it happen?"

JT sensed the game and decided to play along. "Well, for starters it would be sunset."

"Like this?" Liberty reached for the dimmer switch on the wall.

"Yeah, and we would be by the creek listening to the water flow over the rocks."

"Like this?" Liberty reached over and turned the faucet on just a trickle.

"Then I would take you in my arms…like this, and I kiss you like this…" The kiss lingered until Liberty pulled away.

"Then what?" Liberty brought them back to the subject at hand.

"Do you love me?" JT voice suddenly seemed very deep and very serious.

"You know I do."

"Do trust me?"

"Yes." For the first time since they reunited Liberty answered that question without hesitation.

"Then you should know that I want you to be a part of everything I do, and I want to be there to cheer you on as you accomplish all of your dreams. I want to fight with you and live with you and love with you for the rest of my life. I want to marry you, Liberty."

Six months later…

JT closed the window on his laptop and took the stairs two at a time. "I just checked, and there are no delays, which means you have twenty minutes to finish filling that suitcase."

"Need I remind you that this would be finished if someone hadn't insisted on an extra-long good morning kiss with a little something extra on the side?"

"Need I remind _you_ that technically, we are still on our honeymoon?" JT gave Liberty's bottom a quick pat before grabbing a handful of hangers from the closet. The last six weeks had been a whirlwind of activity for the Yorkes: graduation, wedding, honeymoon, and two weeks apartment hunting in the city.

Finally, today was the day. Liberty stood in her room packing the remnants of her belongings, preparing to leave the country of her birth, the city of her youth, and the house she grew up in. A gaggle of family and friends had shown up over the last few days bearing gifts and good wishes to the young couple. This was her first moment in weeks to just stop and take it all in. Baby, married, and moving all before the age of nineteen. _Was it all happening too fast_?

"You kept this?" Liberty turned around to find JT standing just outside of her closet holding a shirt…his shirt. And at once her doubts were vanquished. With this man she had already shared a lifetime of ups and downs, and age was irrelevant to the strength of their love and commitment to one another.

"You gave me that the day of that horrible tuna sub incident."

"I know, but you were so angry back then. I thought for sure you would have burned it or cut it into a million little pieces or something." JT removed it from the hanger and added it to the suite case.

"I slept in that shirt almost every night after you gave it to me. I thought about returning it after we got back together, but I decided to keep it, as a little reminder."

"Reminder of what?"

"To never let my pride override my heart ever again" Liberty wrapped him in her arms.

"That ring on your finger can be all the reminder you need from now on."

"I couldn't agree more." Liberty's mother knocked softly on the open door as she entered. "I wasn't eavesdropping. I just came up to see if you needed any help."

"I'll just finish loading the car." JT picked up the suitcase and made a quick exit so that the two women could say their goodbyes in private.

"Looks like you're all done." Liberty's mother spoke nervously as she scanned the room.

"Yup, that was the last bag." Liberty knew her mother's reasons for prompting this last minute heart to heart, and she had no desire to taint her final moments with talk of her father. The announcement of her engagement to JT had set off a catastrophic reaction from Harold Van Zandt. His attempts at intimidation had led to threats, and his threats ended with the final blow of boycotting his only daughter's wedding. Having her younger brother walk her down the aisle while her father sat in his study burying himself in his work, was devastating to Liberty and her sadness prompted her vow to dish her father a lethal dose of his own medicine. She would show him what it meant to be cut out of someone's life.

"Your father hasn't gotten up yet but…"

"Don't you ever get tired of making up excuses for him? He's not here because he's a horse's ass."

"Liberty, don't…"

"No, Mother, I can't do this anymore. He accepts you as long as you do exactly as he says, but the minute you develop your own mind…ideas…feelings, your own life, he disowns you. What kind of love is that?"

"Your father _does _love you, Liberty, and I am not here to make up excuses for him. I'm also not here to ask you to forgive him. That's something you will have to do in your own time. I just wanted to give you this…I thought it might come in handy."

Liberty took the envelope and removed its contents.

"Mom I can't take this…it's too much."

"You can, and you will. It's your money, Liberty. Your father and I started that account for you the day you were born. Whether you go to Colombia, or NYU…whatever you decide to do with it, it's yours."

The car horn blared from the driveway as JT's not so subtle reminder of their time schedule.

"I better get down there, we have a long drive and Sophie's tolerance window can get pretty low when we're stuck in traffic." Liberty reached for her purse as her mother reached for her hand. Arm and arm, the women walked down the stairs and out to the car where Danny, Derek, Emma, Manny, and Toby stood waiting to say their goodbyes.

"I can't believe we're really leaving. I'm going to miss you all so much," Liberty said as she hugged them all.

"Don't think of it as leaving us," Danny corrected. "Think of it as going south to secure us a cool new place to hang out. Remember New York is only a short plane ride away so we'll all be down for visits…often."

"Not too often," JT chimed in while he buckled Sophie into her car seat.

"Isn't your grandmother coming out to see you off?" Liberty's mother asked after she had given Liberty a final hug and kissed Sophie on the forehead.

"She hates long goodbyes. When I went over this morning she just handed me a dozen carrot muffins and said she'd see us in three weeks."

"Why three weeks?"

"Canada Day. You didn't think we'd stay away during one of the biggest holidays of the summer did you?"

"Oh, that will be great. Liberty's dad and I can…"

"We need to get going." Liberty cut her mother's statement short and opened the car door motioning for JT to do the same.

"I guess she's still a little upset about everything." JT could see the hurt in Liberty's mother's eyes as she approached him for one final hug. "But don't worry. I'm going to take really good care of them. I promise."

"I know you will, JT," Mrs. Van Zandt whispered in his ear. "And just so you know. I am really proud of you…of both of you."

The shouts and waves of goodbye were overwhelming as the car backed out of the driveway. Liberty took one last look up at the window that belonged to her parents' bedroom. She wasn't sure if it was wishful thinking or if she'd actually seen his shadow moving behind those curtains. Either way it didn't matter. He'd sworn he'd never speak to her again, and Liberty was determined to grant him that wish.

"I almost forgot." JT interrupted her train of thought as he handed her a gift-wrapped box.

"Not another going away gift…I hope it's not more hand towels. Three dozen is more than enough."

"Just open it. I have a feeling it's something you need." JT smiled slyly while she opened the box.

"My picture…how...?"

"I got it back from Luke the day after we got engaged. That night you talked about not having any happy memories from your pregnancy, and I thought about that picture. It doesn't matter who took it, all that matters is what it means to you. That hand on your belly and the look on your face…it was your moment and I didn't have a right to ask you to give it back."

"You're amazing, JT, but every time you see it it's going to remind you of him."

"Liberty, when I look at that picture…all I see is you."

The End

**A/N: Well, that's all folks. I hope you enjoyed the ride. MJ, you are the bestest beta in the whole wide world. Thank you for putting up with me. **

**Now if you want more from me, you'll have to cross over to the Twilight world, cuz that's where I live now. But I warn you...it's not for the kiddies! It gets hot ovah thar.**


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